Without You
by AxJfan
Summary: Jaden hasn't returned from the Dark World. Everyone is losing hope. Shows gang three years in the future after the start. Oh look! It's the plot! AxJxY (under edits)
1. Prologue: Disappearance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Gx. **

**This is the redone version of Without You. Don't worry, the only things that are being changed are the style of writing and a thinning of unnecessary facts. I combined parts of the first chapter and all sections of the prologue into one, convenient chapter.**

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**Prologue: Disappearance **

Of all the reasons Jaden would not graduate Duel Academy; they never dreamed it'd be this. Missing assignments, bad grades, tomfoolery and mayhem, or being recreated by the Pro Circuit early were all more likely reasons than what happened. Fighting bad guys had always been Jaden's niche at Duel Academy, but he had always won. He made waves and turned heads. Jaden Yuki was not the type to disappear. The entire academy knew he would return from the Dark World, that he would defeat and help that crazy duel spirit and take the dueling world by storm. He'd be back eating shrimp in the Red Dorm in a week, a month at most.

A year passed.

The ceremony was long over. Students murmured onto the cruise ships with their jackets limp on their shoulders. Every student knew it: none of them should be graduating without him. As the student body gradually shifted towards mainland, the eyes lingered on one group gathered on the docks. The six students felt their gaze like led in their shoes.

"Where are they?" I muttered, scanning the graduation caps.

"I don't know," Syrus replied softly. Silence had become a habit for him, grounded in his travels through the Dark World and cemented by the absence of his best friend. I put a hand on his small shoulders like Zane had done for me. The group stood in vigilant silence.

Our last year at Duel Academy had been wasted on false hope and searches into the forest. Whatever lenience Jaden's friends and family had for the school evaporated the moment we realized we would be leaving the island without him. After a year of looking elsewhere for their son, convinced that he had jumped ship and left the academy, Jaden's parents were finally coming to the island in person.

Hassleberry had prodded Chazz, Syrus, and me for information on Jaden's family, but we all came up with nothing. Not even an address. It was a punch to the gut to realize that Jaden was a stranger outside of Duel Academy. Even Blair, Jaden's self-appointed fan-girl, hadn't known anything beyond a number in a phone book. Without looking up, Syrus pointed across the docks. "They're here."

We turned as one, spotting Crowler in a heartbeat. A man and a woman in pressed, gray business suits flanked the professor, red in the face from anger or tears. As the group passed, we could see it as pure rage. Crowler sent us a plea for help and we began our stalk, eavesdropping on the small group.

"Yes, Mr. Yuki," Professor Crowler said. He was practically tripping over his long trench coat. "We're terribly sorry, of course sir."

Our group shared a wrinkled glance. Mr. Yuki was a few inches taller than Crowler with short brown hair and aged lips. His eyes and build reeked of Jaden. Mrs. Yuki was a head shorter than her husband. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a neat bun, and her eyes held the shape and observance of her son. Their noses and jawline matched. The colors of their suits were washed out against the shadow of Duel Academy's main building.

We snuck in behind them, missing a huffy exchange of sentences, and crept in the hissing silence that followed the Yukis. If not for their physical differences, I would doubt that someone as bright and harmless as Jaden could be their son.

Then again, he wasn't exactly harmless anymore.

The parents and teacher entered Chancellor Sheppard's office. The automatic doors seemed to slam behind them and lock for the meeting, allowing us to press our faces against the door. It became apparent that we didn't need to once the Yukis started shouting. We could've heard them from the grounds.

"Where the hell is our son, Sheppard?" Mr. Yuki hollered in a deep and deadly voice.

"Jaden has yet to return," Chancellor Sheppard replied. "During his third year, he and his friends were forced into another dimension—"

Fists slammed into the hardwood desk. "We give you a year, three hundred and sixty five days, to find our son and this is the best you can give us? Bullshit! Dimensional travel is nonsense; _now tell us the goddamn truth_!"

Sheppard's chair scraped as he stood. "Please, Mr. and Mrs. Yuki. I implore you, I am not lying."

A female voice cut in, even lower and stricter than her husband. She did not need to shout for her words to echo the building. "Sheppard, we are more than prepared to do everything in our power to shut down this school is you do not cooperate. If our understanding is correct, our son is not the only student that went missing last year. If you want to continue your business, I suggest you start talking."

Chazz leaned into my ear and scoffed, "What could they do?"

I kept my mouth tight, rooted by the profound silence in the next room. Crowler broke it with an uneasy shriek. "Now madam, is this really necessary? We're telling the truth, no matter how bizarre this seems. We even have scientific proof of the existence of—"

"Waves on a chart," Mrs. Yuki interrupted coolly. "We've seen your so-called science before."

My heart picked up until I was sure Jaden's parents could hear it through the door. Mr. Yuki moved forward in the room, softening his voice. Some of Jaden was in his tones. "Just tell us what happened," he said. "Whatever it is, we will take care of the cost to find our son."

Chazz's warm pressure on my side turned cold. The snooty expression fell from his face as we all turned in mutual surprise. Wealth was not something we expected from someone whose favorite food was fried shrimp and lived happily in the equivalent of a tool shed. Shivers ran up my side at the thought of money and influence coming against the academy without its hero to protect it. My hands gripped the door.

Sheppard exhaled, clearly preparing for the worst. I felt myself freeze as he pulled out his trump card. "Very well. Your son sacrificed himself to save us all from a monster called Yubel."

"Yubel does not exist!" the two parents hissed quickly. Fear shook the sentence, but Jaden's father continued, "If you insist on feeding us lies, then we will be forced to shut this damned place down." I was through the door and planted in front of the parents before I knew what was happening.

"You can't!" I shouted. "Jaden loved this school! He's saved it every year he's been here and sacrificed so much so that we could be happy. He is our hero, and I know he'll return here. And I swear to God that I won't let his parents be the ones who take this school away from him!"

My friends poured in around me, glaring down the stunned adults. The couple held each other as I advanced, prodding at their apathy with my extended finger. "You don't have the right to close Duel Academy! Jaden did travel into another dimension with us. He did lose us to Yubel! He did suffer more than anyone should have in that Dark World! H-he did fight against Yubel and now he's gone! What kind of parents are you to even consider destroying the school that he would die to protect?!"

A year's worth of sorrow fled me with the worlds. I was hit by the possibility of my own last sentence and felt my knees cave. Jaden would not hesitate to give his life for us, for this school. Just because he had promised not to sacrifice himself did not mean he was alive. Hands caught me, held me up, and helped keep my hazel glare sharp on my targets.

"Who are you?" Mrs. Yuki asked.

Chazz snapped next. He managed to look down his nose at the taller opponents, and spin the full strength of his snobbish spite into his words. "You would know if you took the time to talk to your son."

It was his hands that held me, and I realized that he wasn't seeing Jaden's parents at all. Chazz had grown up second-best to his family's companies. Out of us all, he understood abandonment the most. I found the strength in my knees to stand.

Chazz evaporated the anger on the Yukis' faces. Depression welled through. Mrs. Yuki shook as she spoke. "We aren't on the best terms with our son. The last thing we said to him was that he wasn't good enough to be a duelist."

Our mouths were hanging open too far to retort.

"We didn't mean it," Mrs. Yuki snapped. "We were fighting and it just came out."

"About what?" I jumped at the sound of Syrus' voice. He had taken to silence and watching since his return from the Dark World.

"We wanted Jaden to take over the family business instead of continuing with his foolish dream of dueling," Mr. Yuki scoffed.

"And that is?" Syrus prompted.

The Yukis launched into their family-owned hospital business as if working long, meticulous hours were the perfect job for their bubbly, sleep-addict of a son. I growled when they finished, crossing my arms tighter. "It's strange we know Jaden better than his own parents."

"Besides, unless you haven't noticed, Jaden's not exactly bright," Chazz scoffed. I felt the need to scold him, but stopped when I felt him stiffen. He struck in a nerve in the Yuki's as well, earning a hard sigh and jerk of the chin.

"On contraire," Mr. Yuki retorted. "Jaden is bright, but he chose to slack off when we told him he could not get by on dueling alone. Apparently, he tried to prove us wrong."

We all struggled to process that one. Jaden knew people, I could agree to that. He was a social butterfly that knew what to say, how to defuse tension, and how to charm villains into joining his cause. He knew each of us like a card in his deck, but had never even tried to pass a test or assignment in the Academy. I paused and looked at Syrus, who was thinking along the same lines. Intelligence aside, the Yukis were trying to hedge the real issue.

Syrus spoke. "The last thing you say to your son is that he's not good enough, you do your best to disapprove of everything he's accomplished, all the lives he's saved, and refuse to believe he's missing become of Yubel. Save it—we already heard about the whole disaster!"

Jaden's parents turned on the Chancellor, who put his fingers to his chin. "I did some research. Osamu called me. He was worried about Jaden."

"Listen to us," Syrus began. Jaden's eyes traveled to meet every single one of ours. "Jaden hasn't returned because he chose to save us from his childhood duel spirit, Yubel. He went through a lot when Yubel returned, and he thought he had lost us more than once. It hurt him badly. Yubel was the source of all his pain. When he finally faced her, something happened between them that we didn't see. Your son promised me he was not sacrificing himself, and I believe him. He'll come back. But we just don't know enough about Yubel."

"Yubel wouldn't hurt him," Mr. Yuki snapped. His head hung when he realized he confirmed he knew her. The fight leaked out of the couple, revealing a broken household at its finest. Mrs. Yuki rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "She wouldn't let anyone hurt him. She'd hurt anyone who got close to Jaden."

Mrs. Yuki picked up when her husband's voice faltered. "Jaden was so young then, he didn't know what she was doing. Then she attacked Osamu, one of Jaden's close friends. Osamu was always an older brother to Jaden, and I can't imagine him doing anything to harm our son… but something happened."

They all remembered the story of a duel gone wrong, Yubel's wrath, and Jaden's comatose friend. His parents had a new angle to add to the story: the unending nightmares, screams in the night, fevers, and sleep deprivation. He was dazed and in physical pain—a last gift from Yubel they feared. Carla and John Yuki did all they could to aid their son, but all the medical knowledge in the world couldn't help him. The memory wipe was a last resort.

"He knew something was up when we took him in. Jaden had never been to our work before," Mrs. Yuki said. She and John had sunk into chairs at the Chancellor's desk. "We told him we were going to give him a CAT scan."

She shook her head and put her face in her hands. Her fingers were as long and rough as her son's. John took her hand and looked towards me, at an understanding. "Jaden was out for two days straight. The nightmares stopped. He never mentioned Yubel again."

The sounds of the weary graduates drowned out the conversation in the room. Footsteps of all the students Jaden had saved surrounded them, along with the price he had paid to get rid of nightmares. We bowed our heads to the unwilling funeral march, and Carla sent her son off with a last plea. "We tried to sway him off of the path of dueling to avoid triggering memories of Yubel, but he bristled at the very idea, which eventually led to our argument before he departed for school this year. So don't think so badly of us, we just had our son's best interests in mind."

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**A/N: This is the edited version. Feel free to leave feedback if you think there is something I should change.  
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	2. Three Years Later

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX! **

**OOOOH! LOOK! IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER!**

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**Chapter 1 **

_The man strode purposefully through the cheery afternoon sunlight with a slight frown on his face. He was incredibly muscular and was shirtless with a giant shield and sword strapped onto his back. He made his way through the revived city without saying a word to the curious citizens stepping out of homes that had been consumed by flames not so long ago. _

_"Burgandy?!" called a woman from his right. She ran up to the man and pulled him into a giant hug. A harp was slung across her back and over her yellow dress. Her blonde hair was hidden behind her hood and her green eyes were swimming with tears of joy. _

_"Claret?" Burgandy asks her curiously. "Then is it true that everyone is back?" _

_The woman nodded happily and opened her arms to embrace everyone else in the village. She paused before racing away and turned back to face him, a few strands of her blonde hair falling in her face. "What do you intend to do Burgandy?" _

_"I'm going to find whoever saved us and thank him properly," the man called Burgandy replied evenly. _

_"Or her," Claret reminded him with a smile. "Just be careful alright?" _

_He smiled at her gently, "I will. Say hello to everyone for me." _

_The woman nodded and dashed out of view, chasing down the young children and scooping them into her caring arms. Burgandy watched her for a few moments before starting on his journey again. By his stance, you could tell he knew where he was going and that he would succeed in his mission, no matter what. _

A stray leaf found its way onto the sleeping form of Alexis Rhode's nose. She twitched at it in her doze before slowly opening up her eyes and removing the offending piece of nature. She had been having such a weird dream too... something about the Dark World, she was sure of it. Alexis shrugged it off before standing up and stretching out her muscles. The trees around her rustled cheerfully, reminding her of why she had been forced to take refuge among their green arms.

"Jaden..." she whispered into the wind, wondering if he could hear her.

_"I'm here Atti," she sighed. "Have they arrived yet?" _

_"No," Syrus said in a sad voice. I glanced down at my shorter friend, very conscious of how he was feeling right now. He wasn't the only one who had lost a brother and an important friend. I placed my hand on his shoulder like Zane had done to me once when I was depressed over Atticus. He didn't look up at me, but pointed over to Dr. Crowler, who was escorting two very business-like people. They were red in the face from either anger or crying; it was hard to tell at first. But when the group passed them, they saw it was pure rage. _

She let a sigh escaped from her lips. This day was not unlike that day a few years back...

_Crowler and Bonaparte bounced around nervously in their wake, glancing at each other in fear. "Are you going to lead us to the Chancellor's office or stand their like bumbling idiots all day?!" roared the male, stunning the students. _

_"Yes Mr. Yuki, we're terribly sorry, of course sir," Dr. Crowler said, practically tripping over his long trench coat. The gang shared a glance and slowly started to tail the small group of adults. Mr. Yuki was taller than Crowler, he had short-cut brown hair and his eyes were narrowed with lines of age and hard work. He was wearing a gray suit with a blue tie and a white undershirt. His eyes were the same shade as Jaden's. He shared Jaden's athletic build and observant eyes. _

_The woman that must have been Mrs. Yuki was a head shorter than her husband. She had red hair that was pulled back into a neat bun and her eyes were also Jaden's. She was wearing a knee-length tan skirt with a matching jacket over it all buttoned up over a white shirt. She had Jaden's nose and jaw line... or rather he had hers. She wore reading glasses on her face, as though she had been reading a book before they had received word of Jaden disappearance. _

Absence_, Alexis corrected herself mentally,_ Absence, not disappearance_._

_They entered Chancellor Sheppard's office, slamming the door behind Bonaparte, before launching into their rant. The gang pressed their ears against the side of the door so they wouldn't make it open. Soon after, it was common knowledge that they didn't need to. They could here the Yuki's voices from the grounds if they wanted to. _

Alexis started to gather up her briefcase, collecting the papers she had been attempting to grade. She paused when her hand brushed against something cold a metallic. A small ray of golden light reflected off the smooth surface of the locket as she picked it up and held it close to her eyes as if it was precious to her. With trembling hands, she undid the clasp...

_"WHERE THE HELL IS OUR SON SHEPPARD?!" Mr. Yuki hollered in a deadly, deep voice. _

_"Jaden has yet to return from another dimension—" started Chancellor Sheppard. _

_"BULL SHIT! THERE ARE NO OTHER DIMENSIONS OR ANY OF THAT NONSENSE! NOW WHERE THE HELL IS OUR SON! TELL US THE TRUTH GOD DAMMIT!" Mrs. Yuki burst. _

_"Please, Mr. and Mrs. Yuki, I implore to you I'm not lying—" _

_"DAMMIT SHEPPARD!! DO WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO SHUT DOWN THIS SCHOOL BEFORE YOU'LL TELL US WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SON?" Mr. Yuki shrieked. _

A small drop of salty water glistened on the surface of the memory. Alexis brushed her cheeks angrily. She had told herself two years ago she would not cry over her fallen friend anymore.

_"What could they do anyways?" Chazz scoffed. Alexis' heart was starting to beat faster, something told her what Mr. Yuki said was true. _

_Crowler and Bonaparte seemed to support her theory from the other side of the door. "Now sir, is all of this really necessary? We are telling the truth, no matter how bizarre this all seems." _

_"Oh do shut up," Mrs. Yuki snarled. "There are no such things as other dimensions that is just illogical." _

_Alexis' heart started to beat faster in her chest until she was sure that Jaden's parents on the other side of the door could hear her. _

_"Just tell us what happened so we can pay for an expedition to find him," Mrs. Yuki said more gently. _

_Chazz face-vaulted on the other side of the door. The rest of us just stood there with our mouths hanging open. Who are they to be able to pay for something like that? Why hadn't they heard of the Yukis before? _

_"Just because we don't flaunt it like those disrespectful Princeton's doesn't mean we don't have it," Mr. Yuki said, probably to the stunned faces of the staff members. Chazz was practically foaming at the mouth. _

_"Slifer slacker is richer than me?!" he hissed. We all glared at him and continued to listen in. If the Yuki's words were true, then Duel Academy was in BIG trouble. _

The water kept falling onto the small picture, making them look blurry and distorted. A caring hand wiped the water off the surface and hazel eyes glazed over when sorrow overtook the young woman again.

"_Now, please," Mrs. Yuki asked. "Please tell us what happened to our son." _

_"You see... Jaden sacrificed himself to save us all from a monster called Yubel—" Sheppard tried to say again. _

_"There is no such monster as Yubel!" the two parents hissed at the same time, but there was a hint of fear in their voices. "If you insist on feeding us lies, than we're going to be forced to shut you down." _

_Alexis couldn't take it anymore. She ran through the automatic door and planted herself right in front of the stunned parents. "You can't!" she shouted at them, tears running down her face. "You can't shut down Duel Academy! This is where Jaden will return! I just know it! This is the very school that he loved and saved so many times from darkness and light! And I swear to God that I won't let my friend's own parents be the ones who take away the school from him!" _

The same hand touched the tan cheeks of a youth spread out on the sandy beach. Those eyes bathed in utter and complete sadness shifted so that they were looking at the people surrounding the boy with brown hair. There were three other males there. A small boy with blue hair and glasses was sitting beside a sand castle proudly and looking at the brown-haired boy. To the brunette's right stood a boy dressed in yellow and with black dreadlocks. His index finger was pointing at the boy with blue hair, who also had his tongue sticking out. The last teen was sulking behind the brunette with his hands crossed against his black shirt. There was a young dirty-blonde female lying next to the brunette, laughing with him at something the boy with dreadlocks had said. The finger lifted from the small image to once again dispose of tears.

_Her friends appeared right next to her side and glared at the two. Their eyes widened in shock as they stared down the teens. _

_"You don't have the right to close down this place just because you won't listen to the truth!" Alexis yelled again. "Your son, our friend, did go into another dimension with us. He did lose us to Yubel! He did suffer more than anyone should in the Dark World! H-He fought against Yubel and now he's gone! What kind of people are you to even consider shutting down the school that their possibly dead son loved so much he would die to protect it?!" _

_She fell to her knees in a helpless sob, staring up at the two enemies in front of her. _

_"Who are you?" Mrs. Yuki asked her. _

_Alexis bristled slightly as Chazz snapped, "Shouldn't you know if you ever took the time to talk with your son?" They all remembered Sheppard telling them that Jaden's parents were hardly ever home. Now they knew why, they were always out running companies. _

_Mr. and Mrs. Yuki seemed very depressed all of the sudden. "We aren't on the best of terms at the moment with our son. Actually, the last thing we told him was that he wasn't good enough to be a duelist." _

_Their mouths fell open. "Are you crazy?" Atticus gasped. "Jaden's the best duelist I've ever seen!" _

The locket closed with finality and found its special place around her neck, glistening brilliantly under the golden sun. It rested against her blue blazer with an air of fatigue and depression. A hand curled into a fist and feet started to move.

_"Oh course we didn't mean it," Mrs. Yuki snapped. "We were fighting with him and it just came out." _

_"What were you fighting about?" Syrus quietly asked. _

_"We wanted Jaden to take over the family business instead of continuing on with his foolish dreams of dueling," Mr. Yuki scoffed. _

_"And that is?" _

_"We run a hospital." _

_Alexis' eye twitched when she thought of Jaden locked up in some hospital all day wearing those lab coats and working odd hours. That wouldn't mesh well with someone who needs eighteen hours of sleep each day. "You're morons if you thought Jaden would agree to that. It's strange that we know Jaden better than his own parents do." _

_"Besides, unless you haven't noticed, Jaden's not exactly bright," Chazz scoffed, folding his arms across his chest and ignoring the stabs of pain from his conscious from insulting his missing friend. _

_Apparently that hit a nerve with the Yuki parents. Their eyes flashed dangerously and Mr. Yuki looked about ready to strangle Chazz. "On contraire," he retorted. "Jaden is very bright, he only chose to slack off here when we told him 'You can't get by in any school on dueling alone.' Apparently he was determined to prove us wrong." _

Their pace grew faster and faster, spiriting the young woman away into her prison of thoughts before she could lock them away.

_That took a bit of time to process in their brains. Syrus guessed it made a bit of sense, after all, Haou Jaden had been smart and knowledge doesn't just randomly pop up out of thin air. "So," he started, ready to bash Jaden's parent's egos for insulting his best friend. "The last thing you say to your son is that he's not good enough, you do your best to disapprove of everything he's accomplished, all the lives he's saved, refuse to believe that he is missing because he saved us all from Yubel, and now your trying to take away the school that holds Jaden's memory within it?" _

_Hassleberry nodded in agreement. He wasn't the best with words in situations like this, but he decided to show that he still supported everyone in the room. "Why don't you want to believe that the Serge—Jaden—disappeared to save lives? Wouldn't you want to hear that your son went down fighting?" _

_"We—" _

_"You're terrible people!" Alexis cried out from the floor. "I don't understand how Jaden can still be so kind when he has to deal with parents like you!" _

The rise and fall of shoes ceased. The dirty blonde was standing in front of a small plaque engraved into a statue of the same young man in her picture. She read over the words again and again, wanting nothing more than for them to disappear.

_"You have nerve young lady!" Mrs. Yuki snapped. "We never neglected our son and we are not terrible people!" _

_"I never said that you neglected him," Alexis said tearfully, but with conviction. "You just never cared for him so long as he listened to your plans and expectations for the future." _

_She didn't know why or how she knew this, but something told her it was true. _

_"And you know about Yubel," Syrus added forcefully. "We've already heard about that whole disaster!" _

_The Yukis had the appearance of frightened animals. Jaden's eyes traveled to meet every single one of theirs. They did know. _

_"Listen to us," Syrus began again. "Your son, our best friend and hero, hasn't returned because he chose to save us from his childhood duel spirit, Yubel. He was put under terrible amounts of stress and pressure when Yubel returned; he thought he had lost us more than once. It wounded his spirit severely. Yubel was the source of all of his suffering. When he finally faced her in the world we had gone into, something happened between them, something I could not see. Your son promised me that he was not sacrificing himself, and I believe in him. Jaden Yuki will come back." _

Back then they had been so naïve. Just because he said he wasn't sacrificing himself... that didn't mean that he wouldn't die. It was obvious that he was gone now. It had been three years since his picture had been hung in the Slifer Dorms, he had to be dead otherwise he would have returned.

_"Yubel wouldn't hurt Jaden," Mr. Yuki snapped before covering his mouth. He hung his head in shame when he realized that he had just confirmed that he knew the monster. "She wouldn't let anyone hurt him. She'd hurt anyone who tried to hurt Jaden." _

_"Our son wasn't aware of what she was doing at first, he was confused. Jaden was so young then..." Mrs. Yuki continued for her husband. "He was a very perceptive child though; it did not take him a long time to solve the problem. He knew Yubel was harming his friends and told her to stop, which she did for a while. We did not get any frightened calls from our son about a fallen friend for a long time. Then she hurt Osamu, a very close friend of his. He often called him big brother when he was younger. Osamu would just laugh and ruffle Jaden's hair. It's hard to believe that he would do anything to Jaden that Yubel would take as a threat, but apparently something happened." _

More tears started to build up in her eyes, but she dammed them back to prevent the river from flowing down her face. A few curious students hovered beside her uncertainly, gazing up at their teacher with concern. "Miss Rhodes?" one of them asked her. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn this was Jaden's younger sister. She had his big eyes and the same shade of brown in her hair. Her eyes were gray instead of brown. "What's wrong Miss Rhodes?"

"Nothing Jenny," Alexis smiled down at the sixteen year old. "I was just thinking about an old friend."

"Did you know him?" Jenny asked her curiously. Everyone at the school had always wondered who the boy carved in stone was, but none of the teachers ever wanted to talk about it. The seniors did non-stop, but it all sounded to far-fetched to be true. His picture was also hanging up in the Red Dorm, but there was no real explanation. The plaque simply said his name, Jaden Yuki, and a brief description. It read:

**Jaden Yuki **

**2000-2017 **

**"The sun never stops shining **

**And the miracle duelist will never fall." **

"Yes I knew him," Alexis whispered. "He was my best friend."

"Was?"

"He died saving everyone Jenny. Jaden gave up his life to save all of the worlds."

Leaving a stunned Jenny behind, Alexis allowed her feet to carry her back into the school and into the shadows of the past.

_"Jaden sent Yubel into space in hopes of her absorbing some positive energy, how he knew that could happen, I have yet to figure out," Mrs. Yuki finished. _

_"But that was not the end of it. Jaden kept waking up in the middle of the night, screaming Yubel's name. He tried to hide it from us, but we knew something was wrong. We watched him carefully when he was awake and decided something needed to be done. By this time he had dark purple circles under his eyes and was barely functioning due to lack of sleep. He was in a daze most of the time, so we did the only thing we could think of. We brought him to our hospital one day, claiming that we were going to show him where we worked. He was thrilled despite his current state. When we were there, we asked him if he wanted to get an x-ray done to see what it looked like. He agreed warily, I think he knew something was wrong," Mr. Yuki said flatly. "We hooked him up. Not to an x-ray or CAT scan, but a machine that can be used to suppress memories. We locked up his memory of Yubel deep within his mind and the memory of us taking him to the hospital. He was out cold when we took him out of the machine and drove him home. We placed him back on his bed when we arrived home and waited for him to wake up. He slept for two days straight. When he finally did wake up, I could see in his eyes that he wasn't worried about Yubel anymore. I knew it was a success. Jaden did not mention Yubel ever again." _

_"We tried to sway him off of the path of dueling at a young age to avoid anything triggering his memories of playing with Yubel, but he bristled at the very idea, which eventually led to our argument before he departed for school this year. So don't think so badly of us, we just had our son's best interests in mind." _

Alexis slammed the door of her room angrily before falling onto her bed. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him?! Her hazel eyes observed the sunlight start to fade against her walls, keeping her mind blank. This was something she had taught herself to ease the pain. It never went away, every time her heart beat, it doubled in agony. Now it hurt so badly that she felt numb. More tears started to stream down her face as the sun fell deeper behind the horizon. Her troubled mind eventually allowed her to fall into an uneasy sleep, where our heroine found herself placed back into the past of the Dark World.

_Burgandy was running through the cold rain towards town in the cold night. There was no denying the urgency that came in his footfalls and his ragged breath signaled that he had been running for awhile. He dashed into the first house that he came upon, calling the name of Claret. The young woman dashed down the stairs quickly and approached the distressed man. He turned so that she could see who was held in his arms and the air in her lounge left quicker than if someone had punched her in the stomach. Her friend held a limp figure in his arms. _

_"Isn't that--?" Claret started. _

_"Yes," Burgandy nodded, placing the figure down on the hay were Jim 'Crocodile' Cook had been not even seven days ago. The teen did not stir, his chest barely moved at all, revealing his condition to be serious. Claret gently stroked the boy's brown hair out of his face and positioned a pillow under his head. _

_"I'll go get some help for the dear," Claret offered. "You rest Burgandy; you've obviously carried him quite a way. Would you please just watch over the dear for a while?" _

_Burgandy nodded, but he looked apprehensive about the boy. "He doesn't seem right," the spirit of Staunch Defender told her. "He just doesn't seem to be completely... human." _

_"We're not human either, remember? We can interrogate him when he wakes up," Claret said kindly, running off into the night. _

_

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_

**NOT A LOT OF END NOTES THIS TIME. **

**REVIEW IF YOU LIKED IT, THEY MAKE ME LAUGH!**

**BY THE BY... THE NEW JADEN IS HOT!!**

**(faints)**


	3. Dreaming of Reality

**I'M ALIVE! SORRY FOR SLOW UPDATES... **

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX OR "BREATH" BY BREAKING BENJAMIN**

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**

**Chapter 2 **

_**"I see nothing in your eyes, and the more I see the less I like.  
Is it over yet, in my head?"**_

A grumble and the shifting of weight can be heard from within the shelter of blankets. A pale hand gropes for its alarm clock, but freezes when it recognizes the voice.

_**"I know nothing of your kind, and I won't reveal your evil mind.  
Is it over yet? I can't win." **_

It was her brother. Owlish hazel eyes peeped out from her protective fortress and listened to her brother's latest song. This was one of them that he wrote from his experience in the Dark World. It's amazing what some vocal lessons and pent up emotions could do. With an audible sigh, Alexis Rhodes rolled back over and allowed herself to listen to the music that spurred memories behind her eyelids.

**_"So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left.  
I know that I can find the fire in your eyes.  
I'm going all the way, get away, please.  
You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you."_**

_We were the death of Jaden in the end. If we could have defended ourselves and figured out what was wrong with our normally optimistic friend, then we may have been able to avoid the entire fiasco. But no, we had to betray him and awaken Haou, playing right into Yubel's hands._

**_"This will be all over soon.  
Pouring salt into the open wound.  
Is it over yet? Let me in." _**

Still true. We kept thinking that all of this suffering will be over soon, that Jaden will come back tomorrow. But here's the truth. Tomorrow never comes. We're just causing ourselves more pain.

**_"So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left.  
I know that I can find the fire in your eyes.  
I'm going all the way, get away, please.  
You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you." _**

Oh Jaden... why did you have to go through with it? I know you wanted to save us... but what happened to you? Why didn't you tell Syrus your intentions? What were you protecting us from?

**_"I'm waiting, I'm praying, realize, start hating." _**

Right on the money Atticus. We're all waiting, praying that Jaden will return to us. I'm personally praying that he is simply alive and happy. And I've grown to hate Yubel and Jaden's dark side with a passion. Yubel caused all of this chaos just to get to Jaden, and it looks like Haou made her wish come true. What the heck were you thinking Jaden? Are you with Yubel now held prisoner in that far away dimension that no one can penetrate? Are you even alive? We've tried to get back into the Dark World multiple times to search for you. Yet to the extent of your parent's wealth and power and our determination, we could not get through.

Did you know that? Are you the one preventing the gate from opening up? No... You're dead. That's the only explanation... but you can't be dead... I need you Jaden, we all do.

**_"You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you..." _**

Atticus, I could just beat the crap out of you for being so emotional in your lyrics. You describe him so well. He takes the breath out of us all whenever we think about him, he did leave a hole where my heart should be and we have to fight through each day just to keep moving on...

The honest voice of her brother faded away with the final key on his guitar along with her foolish hopes for Jaden's return. Alexis rolled over in bed, staring at her cream ceiling blankly. Why had she set her alarm? It was Saturday today...

"Oh! Sy's duel!" Alexis exclaimed, jumping out of bed. She read the clock with sharper eyes, letting out a small squeak. It started in five minutes! Her clothes managed to find their way onto her body and her pajamas landed in her laundry bin without any mishaps other than a missing sock or two. The door flew open and Alexis dashed down the redone stairs of the Slifer Dorm and into the main room. A few other early risers met her there, eager to watch the duel between Syrus Trusedale and Chazz Princeton.

She glanced around briefly before sitting next to Jesse Anderson, who had also pursued the career of teaching. He, however, did a class on strategy and how to effectively use the cards you had in your hand, a new course proposed by Chancellor Sheppard. His reasoning was that the students needed to be prepared for anything and everything out there, and Jesse had been happy to oblige, claiming he disliked living in the limelight as a Pro Duelist.

Alexis mentally snorted. She had left for... similar reasons

_(Flashback) _

_Cat-calls and jeers came from the crowd as Alexis Rhodes confidently strolled onto the arena. Several men called out repulsive comments and even her opponent tried to hit on her. _

_"Why don't you just surrender so I can take you out tonight baby-cakes?" the guy drawled at her, staring at her chest. _

_Alexis narrowed her eyes, but did not react. She deployed her duel-disk and proceeded to beat the crap out of this jerk. But it was the same every night. She dueled, she won, but she wasn't taken seriously. She finally had enough one night and applied for a teaching post at Duel Academy. Sheppard welcomed her back with open arms. _

_(End Flashback) _

"Morning Lex," Jesse said tiredly. "Why do they have to schedule this duel so early? It's our day off too!"

She smiled sadly at her friend before turning her attention back onto the duel. Syrus had been playing with his usual deck of Roids, only he used Power Bond as a tribute to his brother. Chazz was playing with his Ojama deck and winning brutally. Jesse leaned back in his seat when Syrus drew his card declaring, "It's all over."

Alexis turned back to her bluenette friend blankly. "Huh?" She knew he was probably right though, Jesse had a real knack for picking out strategies... hence his career choice.

"Chazz may have his XYZ cannon out on the field, but he's got no face-downs while Sy has two. Sy also has more cards in his hand and has yet to bring out Power Bond. Sy's got this in the bag," Jesse sighed. Dueling just didn't have the same spark since Jaden left. His was the only strategy that could not be analyzed... that couldn't be predicted. Jaden always brought flare and surprises into his duels, something that everyone else seemed to lack now. Everything was too easy to read.

Sure enough, their little bluenette twenty-year-old friend finished the duel quickly, ending with his Submarineroid's special ability. Alexis heard Jesse sighed with disappointment, something he had been doing quite frequently in recent years. Alexis knew why, and she was pretty sure that she wasn't the only one. This was the true reason Jesse Anderson had dropped out of the pro leagues; he was searching for something that couldn't be found. He was trying to find an opponent like Jaden out there.

"I had a weird dream yesterday," Alexis piped up, trying to distract herself as much as him. He tilted his head slightly and brought his hands up to his chin curiously. Alexis took that as a sign to continue. "I think it was about the Dark World... there was a man called Burgandy and a woman named Claret. They were talking about how their world was restored and Burgandy found someone injured... but I couldn't see his face. Weird huh?"

Jesse had an unusually thoughtful look in his emerald eyes. "What happened next?"

"I woke up," Alexis sighed. "What are you thinking Jesse?"

"Nothing, Lex," he replied simply. "It's just something stupid..."

He stood up and drifted away absent mindedly, heading back to his room to get some more sleep no doubt. Had she just upset him by mentioning the Dark World? She didn't mean to...

"Well there's nothing I can do about it now," Alexis muttered when Jesse closed his door. "I might as well get some more sleep too."

She wove her way back through her students and into her rooms, flicking off the light that she had left on. Alexis allowed her fatigued form to flop back onto the sheets and drift off into dreamland again, slight hoping for her dreams to continue. She wanted to know what happened with that boy.

_"How is he?" a voice whispered through the closed door. _

_"The same," whispered the voice of Claret. _

_"If he doesn't improve soon, he's going to die Claret," came Burgandy's voice. _

_"But..." _

_"He's right Claret," came the other voice. "He's been like this for three weeks now. Humans don't last as long as monster spirits." _

_"But we don't think he's human, right Burgandy? You sensed something off about him!" _

_"I know Claret, but that won't stop him from dying," Burgandy replied. _

_On the bed of hay, the boy stirred, causing the rag to drop from his face. It landed on the floor with a soft sound, but alerted the others to his awakening. They opened the door to his room and circled around the young man's moving form. His eyes opened hazily, regarding them with a mix of curiosity and nervousness. _

_"Are you alright?" Claret smiled, extending her hand towards the boy. He snapped his attention onto her and drew away from her contact, glaring at her with guarded eyes. _

_"Who're you? Where am I? What's going on?" he demanded, sitting up to look them all in the eyes. There was a small scowl on his face, but it was dominated mostly by a sharp smirk. Then his eyes landed on Burgandy and the boy shuffled back in surprise. _

_They exchanged worried glances before the third person spoke up. "I'm Maiden of Aqua, this is Claret, and that is Burgandy. You're at our home in the—" _

_"South Village, I know," the boy cut her off, still staring at them like they were ghosts. _

_"Right then," Claret continued uneasily. "Burgandy found you in the ruins of Yubel's castle. You've been unconscious for three weeks now and we've been taking care of you." _

_The boy's gaze softened and became more trusting. "Thanks, sorry I'm so jumpy... I've just been through a lot lately..." _

_The two female duel monsters took pity on the boy and started to act motherly towards him, brushing his hair out of his face and stuff like that. He appeared confused by their antics, but did not pull away. "How are you all alive?" he suddenly asked. _

_They stared at him in shock. "You saved us, don't you remember? You are the one who defeated Yubel and freed all of out souls, are you not?" Burgandy demanded, wondering who it was he had rescued. _

_"I... Yubel?" the boy muttered, his eyes clouding over. His stayed silent for a few tense moments before smiling up at them kindly. "I am... I was..." _

_"What do you mean?" Maiden of Aqua asked the young teen curiously. _

_"I'm not the same anymore... I had to do something to stop Yubel, but now I remember what I'm supposed to do..." he sounded like he was musing, trying to collect his thoughts, more than trying answer their own questions. The adults sat down next to the boy cautiously, wondering what was going to happen. Burgandy couldn't help but wonder why he seemed to know the boy from somewhere a long time ago, in the distant past of this world... far before it was dark... _

"LEXI!!" called the irrepressible voice of Atticus Rhodes. "WAKE UP TIME SISSY!"

Alexis jumped out of her bed and landed on the floor with a resounding crash. Grumbling, she looked up at her grinning idiotic brother holding several white pieces of paper. She groaned loudly at the sight.

"Atti, I told you to stop trying to give me other people's phone numbers! I can date on my own if I want to!" she complained, preparing to throw something at him. Hmm... Her telephone was conveniently close by...

"It's not like that Lexi!" Atticus smiled charmingly. "One, I had to escape from my crazy fans and what better place to go than my sister's room? Second, these are letters from Jim and Tyranno and Syrus and Chazz and—"

"I get it Atti," Alexis muttered, but her eyes shone hopefully. Could they have found anything new about Jaden? Atticus handed them over to her and sat on her bed, reading over her shoulder. They both sighed with disappointment when they read over them, they were the same as usual.

_Dear Alexis and Atticus (who refuses to give me his address to protect him from 'fan-girls'), _

Atticus chuckled nervously and Alexis just rolled her eyes.

_Jim here. Tyranno and I have been doing fine on our expedition, but there are no signs of Jaden anywhere. This is the second continent we've looked at other than our own, and still nothing. But don't give up hope yet Rhodes siblings! _

_Tyranno has been a great help with identifying the various fossils and helping us figure out where to dig; he's like a human paleontologist machine! (Don't ask me how I convinced him to do that, I have no idea) We still have more than our fair share of arguments, but what do you expect from rivals? Anyway, I think dino-boy's enjoying himself despite his protests of digging up dinosaurs. I hope you two are doing well and Atticus, listen to some sense mate and stop trying to hook your sister up with random guys unless you want her to put you in the hospital. _

_You think that you'd learn after three more years... Hang on, Hassleberry wants to write something. _

_Hey Alexis and Atticus! _

_Ignore everything that Jim says about me enjoying myself, I'm just here to defend my dinos! Anyway, we've still got nothing on the Serge, even with the Yuki's still putting out that world-wide search. Don't worry. If he's out there, we'll find him! _

_So how's it been going with you guys? Alexis, is that last dude Atticus tried to hook you up with out of the hospital yet? Didn't you say you broke his nose when he... errs... came on to you? _

"Uhh..." Atticus laughed nervously when the incident flashed before his eyes again. He had narrowly avoided being pummeled by his sister in that situation as well. His fans wouldn't like their pop-idol to have a black eye would they?

Alexis twitched at him before continuing her narration.

_Anyway I hope I didn't just give Atticus a black eye by mentioning that... Hehe. Hang in there soldiers! Tell us what's going on with you guys lately! We're so cut off from the world here its crazy! _

_Your Friends, _

_Hassleberry and Jim _

_PS: Love the new song mate _

Alexis smiled softly before something sprang into her mind. Jim mentioned that he and O'Brien had stayed in a small village for a small time before they had found Haou Jaden in the Dark World! Could they perhaps know Burgandy and Claret?!

Without any further thoughts, she seized the nearest piece of paper and started to scrawl out her tidy words across the page while Atticus read the other letters.

"Hey sis, Syrus has a girlfriend!" Atticus exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down. "And it's that same girl I set him up with a few months ago! Apparently they kept meeting up and they eventually started dating! The Master of Love is never wrong!"

Alexis didn't even here her brother's boasts. Her thoughts were a millions miles away resting on the shoulders of Jim 'Crocodile' Cook.

"Sis?" Atticus curiously wondered, drawing near her. "Hello?"

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Chazz proposed to you in a letter again while dancing in a frilly pink tutu before he was abducted by aliens!" Atticus cried dramatically, trying to capture his younger sister's attention away from the letter. She had always been too absorbed in this, she never wanted to let go of any hope of finding Jaden. Not that Atticus had given up; he himself simply knew how he could balance that in with his everyday life. That's what Jaden would have wanted after all. He wouldn't want his friends to be in constant suffering by forcing themselves to live with the pain of losing him. And whenever that pain did resurface, he knew how to channel it into his music to prevent depression. But Alexis... she didn't have anything. She had not dueled once since the Pro Leagues two years ago...

Still, he was ignored. Finally, he grew agitated and exclaimed, "I'M BEING ATTACKED BY RABID FAN-GIRLS! SAVE YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLFFFFFFF!"

She glanced up with raised eyebrows from her letter. "Atti, you're crazy."

He fell over backwards.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes!" he exclaimed dramatically.

"Sorry Atti, I was thinking," the younger Rhodes sighed, while brushing her long bangs out of her face.

About Jaden probably, Atticus mentally added, an uncharacteristic frown gracing his features. "Lexi, we're going to go out tonight with Syrus, Chazz, and Jesse! You all need a break! You especially missy! So get rested now cuz you're not coming back until such an unreasonably late time that your students will wonder what their teacher was doing out so late with Mr. Anderson!"

"ATTICUS!" Alexis burst, whacking him with her telephone finally. "Besides, I don't have any time to go out tonight. I have to grade papers, the students are having a quiz on Tuesday and I want them to have all of their old worksheets to study from the day before."

"But Alexis..."

"No Atti, I'm sorry, but I'm going back to sleep."

Atticus slowly trudged out of her room with an air of defeat, allowing Alexis to lower herself back onto her bed. When she closed her eyes, she felt a flicker of something that had vanished in her life over the past few years: excitement. Would her dreams continue? Would she finally be able to see that boy's face clearly?

She felt like a thousand bubbles had been trapped in her heart, making her jumpy and anxious for the sleep to come. Did she want to know who that boy was?

_...Yes._

_Without further interior monologue, Alexis Rhodes lay down her head onto her soft pillow, falling again into her dreams._

_This time, there was no one around except for the boy. He was standing with his back facing her, wearing a black long sleeve shirt, pants, and a gray cloak. He placed a small note on the pile of hay he had been residing on, pausing to watch the sleeping form of Claret. He bowed slightly mouthing his thanks to the women before walking quietly out the door and into the night. _

_From her view of the room, she could only make out two sentences, but that was enough to make her silent heart stop. _

_"In this world, I have three names. I've been called Haou by my followers, Yubel by my own means, but my loved ones call me Jaden Yuki." _

_**

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SORRY FOR THE SHORT-ISH CHAPTER BUT I'VE GOT WRITERS BLOCK AND TONS OF THINGS GOING ON...** _

**_EXPECT SLOW UPDATES! ESPECIALLY ON "GOLDEN EYES"... MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK SORRY..._**

__


	4. Stuck in the Past

**HELLO EVERYONE! HAPPY LATE HOLIDAYS! HERE'S YOUR PRESENT!!**

**(AND YES, YOU WILL HATE ME AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

**

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****Chapter 3 **

It was Alexis' own pounding heart that woke her up this time. Horrified, her eyes flew open and her hand found her mouth, whose lips were parted slightly. Silently, she walked over to her vanity and stood before her mirror, sliding her shaking hands to her wet cheeks. Suddenly, the shock of seeing her lost friend from so long ago sent her over the edge.

Alexis slumped to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably into the cold surface. Her fists pounded into the wood until her knuckles bled and her voice escaladed until her throat went dry. His name kept bursting from her lips over and over again, filling her up with unimaginable sorrow. "Jaden! Jaden! JADEN!" she sobbed into her mind, feeling her heart implode on itself.

She had not seen his face for so long, so long that it had killed her on the inside. Now there he was, standing so patiently in her mind, simply waiting for her to sleep, to close her eyelids and be with him... follow him... watch over him. She thought she should have run out of tears years ago, but now every word that had been left unsaid was pouring out of her very soul in the form of his beautiful name. "Jaden!"

She felt her heart break all over again when she watched his form walk away and his name written so clearly on that paper. Now she finally saw him again, only to lose sight of his glorious eyes, his angelic, _living, breathing _face. Hyperventilating now, she pushed herself up onto her wobbly knees to look into the mirror again. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair disheveled, and her skin unnaturally pale, revealing her every thought and emotion chasing her conscious. "How could I have pushed you away?" she hiccupped, small sobs surfacing again. "How could I have given up on you Jaden?!"

She fell back onto the floor again as more tears leaked over the edges of her eyelids. When her frail body shattered against the unforgiving floor, her door was just about knocked off of its hinges. "ALEXIS!" came two voices. One sounded so much like his, like bells chiming in the sweet summer air that she started to sob once more when reality hit her with the fact that it wasn't him. "ALEXIS! OPEN UP!" Jesse and Atticus commanded on the other side of the door. She made a noise of disconcert and buried her face in the pillow trying to hide from this harsh reality.

"OPEN UP OR I'LL KNOCK THIS DOOR DOWN ALEXIS!" Atticus yelled through the peep-hole. She yelled back at him, a constant wail of solid noise formed into a single, desperate, NO!

He did anyway. She heard, rather than saw; her door fly open and Jesse remove his foot from the air. She felt their hurried footsteps with her fingers and their hands pull her into a messy, awkward hug. Atticus rubbed calming circles around her back while Jesse made soft sounds in her ear, reminding her of her father.

"Hush now," Jesse whispered, tenderly wiping away her tears. "Hush now baby, it's okay. We're right here."

"Lexi, what happened?" Atticus cooed gently. "It's alright."

She shook her head as a response, grabbing tightly onto her brother's shirt as if he was about to disappear too. Jesse and Atticus exchanged an uneasy glance before lifting the sobbing woman back onto her bed. Alexis was still strangling the feathers out of her pillow, so they settled besides her and waited for her to approach them.

After about an hour she calmed down enough to answer their question. "I saw him..." she chocked out.

"Who Alexis? Who did you see?" Atticus demanded.

"_Him!_" she wailed, hugging her knees. "_Jaden!"_

"What happened sweety?" Jesse gently urged her like his own parents used to do when he was younger.

"He disappeared..." More tears leaked out of her eyes, but she didn't start to have a break-down again. "Stupid, stupid nightmare. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!"

"That's right Lexi," Atticus said, rubbing her back again. "It was just a stupid nightmare. Jaden's alright, he's still out there somewhere."

Her eyes glared down on him with sudden force and chilling anger. Though she spoke no words, her message was clear. 'Get out.' The boys complied nervously, but Jesse stuck his head back in her room before he closed it. "If you need to talk to anyone, my door's always open."

Alexis managed to nod past her uncontrollable pent-up emotions. When he closed the door, she grabbed a pen and paper, needing to write this down before her dream slipped away from her memory. Silently, she wrote down the names of the monsters and the small part of the message that Jaden had left them. She wanted to go back to sleep, but now she was afraid. Would the next thing she saw be his grave? Would he be with someone else? Would he have forgotten about her completely?

Despite the haunting questions restlessly seizing her thoughts, Alexis shifted back down onto her bed, hugging one pillow close and resting on the other one. Oh, how she longed that this pillow was her hero instead. She wished he was here to tell her everything would be alright and to give her that smile that uplifted her world.

"As long as he's happy," she reminded herself. "As long as he's happy I won't break..." Her exhaustion was still present and intensified from her wails and waking up constantly, so she quickly slipped back away into her hopes and fears.

Jesse leaned against the wall with Ruby stationed firmly on his shoulders. The cat-like purple creature looked concerned and cooed softly into her master's ear. Jesse sighed, running his hand through his messy teal hair. "So do you think that she...?"

Ruby nodded vigorously to Jesse's unfinished question, starting to pull Jesse away from her dorm room. He raised an eye-brow to his little duel-spirit. Shrugging, the man allowed his family member to lead him away.

"Ofh!" Alexis complained, landing smack on her rear in the dirt. She brushed her blonde locks out of her eyes, thinking that she had fallen off the bed, and stood up to get back into it. Sunlight suddenly blinded her as she opened her lifeless hazel eyes. "What the hell?!?" She was standing in the middle of a lush forest in the middle of nowhere. Stunned, she reached out to touch the trees, making sure they were real, before simply staring at the sun streaming from the horizon. Dawn.

Alexis finally snapped out of it, falling to her knees. She pressed her hands together, feeling their warm pressure against her palms. What was happening to her?

"Is my imagination running away or is all this really happening to me?" a sweet voice pulsed through the dawn air. Alexis felt her body stand up and turn towards the sun. Silently, she turned this and that way, searching for the sound that no one else was around to hear. "Am I a prince in a far away land filled with fantasy?"

She followed the sweet voice almost unconsciously; nothing would get in the way of her and this _longing_ for the owner of the voice. _"Jaden?"_ her lips asked, barely parting.

"Where is reality and what are the actions that will define who I am? I am holding onto the visions I've seen of what I could be... It's what I should be," the beautifully familiar voice sang in response. She started running towards the source, feeling in every particle of her being that her Jaden was near her again. And she was going to get him back! "More than it seems these dreams inside... show me the way to these dreams... Blur reality's line 'til there's nothing that's left of me."

Reality? Did that even exist anymore? "No," Alexis mumbled to herself, all but sprinting towards Jaden's voice. "There is no reality without you! Jaden! Where are you?! I won't let you disappear again! Jaden!"

"If I could believe the dreams aside... show me the way to these dreams. I am capable more than it seems," Jaden continued with finality. Alexis looked up, expecting to see his smiling face staring down at her. Instead, all she saw was an ivory tower of a large castle. The towers appeared alone and empty except for one lone figure standing in the battlements.

"Hello? Jaden?!?!" she called out, tears of joy leaking from her eyes. The man continued to stare at the sun, unable to hear her calls. Bitterness overcame her and she soon couldn't stem the flow of salty tears from her eyes. This was not Jaden. How many times must she be crushed before she finds him?

_If I'll ever find him... _

But she had not imagined that singing, she was sure of it. And it had led her to this castle, so there must be something here that is important!

"Passing through darkness into my own world. Will I be more than when I left... than when I left?" Where did that come from?! Alexis spun around wildly, running at the open main door and into the castle. She was wrong when she thought it was empty; there were a few people moving happily around and about.

"Excuse me!" Alexis called, her desperate tone sounding pathetic even to her own ears. "Ma'am, who is singing?" They all ignored her like she wasn't even there. Annoyed and upset, she drifted over to the woman she was addressing and went to tap her shoulder. However, her hand passed right through the woman's arm! With a startled cry, she jerked her suddenly transparent hand out of the woman's back like she was a phantasm here.

"Never letting go of the lessens I learned. This will make a change... A change within me," Jaden's voice taunted her, coming from the lower parts of the beautifully created castle. She burst past the people, duel-monsters and human alike without any kind of protests from them. It was as if she didn't exist in their eyes. "More than it seems these dreams inside... show me the way to these dreams..."

I followed the voice, adding my own to the mix, desperate to get some kind of reply from my lost friend. There was a brief pause where I felt something literally _pull_ me to the side and out a back door. I let out a small gasp, although no true joy was illuminated in what I saw. The rising sun framed the glittering sea in all of its hateful bliss, a lonely rock jutting out of the beauty, reducing its image. "Blur reality's line 'til there's nothing that's left of me."

Another bitter smile found its way on the heroine's face as she strolled out to the rock. It was lonely and broken, just like her. As she gently sat down on its rough surface, the voice echoed all around her, filling her up with his presence, driving her mad with sorrow. "If I could believe the dreams aside... show me the way to these dreams."

"Show me the way to these dreams," she repeated quietly. "I don't want to ever leave. At least here I can..."—she sobbed loudly, pulling her knees to her chest—"I can hear you! I can hear your voice one last time!"

"I am capable more than it seems."

"So am I! Jaden, please show me where you are! I can find you! I can save you! PLEASE! I can't live with the pain of living without you much longer, it hurts too much!"

"This time I won't run away. I found the strength to face life's long days. This time I won't run away!" His voice hinted a long-ago made promise and also a slight plea inside of the words.

"More than it seems these dreams inside... show me the way to these dreams... Blur reality's line 'til there's nothing that's left of me. If I could believe the dreams aside... show me the way to these dreams. I am capable more than it seems. 'Til there's nothing left of me show me the way to these dreams," Jaden finished softly somewhere in the distant past, out of her grasp. With more tears slipping silently down her face, the heartbroken heroine curled up in a ball and cried. She let out everything she had since there was no one here who could hear her anyway. She did not know for how long she stayed there, but when she recovered, the sun was high above her head. Then she realized what she had actually been hearing. In that eternity ago, in the time before the sun had stopped shining, there had been a party. It had been an all day event, and Atticus had convinced Jaden to do a karaoke number for them all. That had been the song he sang.

So this was just another illusion, another lost dream and shattered hope. She had not heard Jaden; she had simply amplified her own memory of him. More delicate tears trickled down her face when she remembered that day so long ago when she and two of her friends had dressed up as Harpy Ladies. She recalled how Jaden, Bastion, Syrus, and herself had smashed open a watermelon on the beach, and just placed herself in that heartbreaking fantasy, imagining Jaden's sparkling smile and his beautiful brown eyes.

"Well, Sadness, it's strange to see you again," a rough voice spat. It had more than a slight tone of insanity displayed proudly in it, and a grey hand descended on her shoulder. Slowly, ever so slowly, Alexis Rhodes turned and looked into the heartless eyes of her old murderer.

Jesse sighed as he dropped back into his comfy chair inside of his room in the Obelisk Dorm. Alexis was right down the hallway, but he couldn't help but be worried about his friend. "If she goes too far..."

"She'll be alright Jesse," Amethyst Cat soothed, appearing from her card. The others surrounded Jesse as well, meaning to add to the comforting affect.

"Thanks gal, but I'm just worried 'bout her, she doesn't have anyone to protect her like I do."

"She has Jaden," Sapphire Pegasus reminded him. Jesse sighed and ran his fingers through his blue hair.

"I hope so, but we've been looking for so long and we haven't found him... I just don't know."

"Jesse Anderson!" Topaz Tiger snarled. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Jaden risked everything to save you all, and I won't tolerate you giving up on him!"

Ruby nodded fiercely and made an angry chirping noise. Jesse smiled lightly, but his mood was far from lifted. "Just seeing her like that made me realize that she's in on all of this too. I wonder if she's seen him yet."

"We'll find out soon enough," Topaz Tiger agreed. "By the way, Axel called you earlier; we heard it over the answering machine. He said that he's found something important, he wants you to call back."

"Wonder what he found?" Jesse replied. "Thanks guys." They all nodded before disappearing back into his deck. Jesse swiftly picked up his green phone and dialed a single number as Axel was on speed-dial. Axel picked up after the first ring and started talking right away.

"Jesse, I've found something strange in the old ruin sight near you're school, the place where Jaden first slipped into the Dark World to find you."

"Really? What is it?" he said with a small bit of impatience. He was frustrated; Axel was only supposed to get him excited like this when he had information about where Jaden may be or how he was. Any rumors or gossip found their way into Axel's sharp ears one way or another.

"...Well, actually I found _someone._"

"Hello? Jesse?" another voice broke past Axel's and made Jesse drop the phone. It was a voice he had not heard in three years.

* * *

**YES, I AM EVIL. I EVEN GIVE YOU A CLIFFHANGER AS A HOLDIAY GIFT! **

**n.n**


	5. He needs You

****

IT'S A MIRACLE! I ACTUALLY GOT THIS UP WHEN I SAID I WOULD!! SWEET!

**ANYWAY, HALF OF MY REVIEWERS FROM ANOTHER STORY REMINDED ME THAT THEY CAN'T KILL ME IF THEY WANT ME TO BE ABLE TO FINISH THE STORY, SO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS I KEEP YOU IN SUSPENSE FOR THE FIRST... ERR... LET'S JUST SAY LOOOOOOONG TIME OF THE FIRST PART. **

**AND OF COURSE, THE ENDING... HEHE**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"ATTICUS!!" Jesse yelled with all of his might, a triumphant glimmer in his eyes. He burst into the older Rhodes' guest room without second thought. Said pop-star fell off of his chair and stared at Jesse, alarmed. A pen clattered to the floor and lyrics drifted down as Jesse explained everything to him. Atticus soon bolted out of the door with his bluenette friend and towards his sister's room.

Just as he was about to slam the door open, Jesse grabbed his arm firmly and brought his finger to his lips. He gently eased the door open and pointed to Alexis' sleeping form on top of her covers. Atticus made motions to go jump on her, but once again, Jesse held him back with a shake of his head. "She needs to sleep Atticus," Jesse whispered. "We'll just bring him to her room."

Atticus nodded slowly, disappointed that he had been denied a chance to bother his little sister. Then he remembered why he had been about to wake her up and his expression brightened until he was sprinting at Mach-2 towards the forest. Jesse laughed briefly and then chased down the pop-star.

"Wait up!"

Jesse sprinted all the way out to the forest in the faint dawn sunlight, his emerald eyes shining. He didn't care that he was plowing right through tree branches and getting pretty cut up; he was going to see a friend again! And just maybe he would get some questions answered. Ruby was leading him faithfully ahead, her gem sparkling in the light as she danced from tree to tree.

Finally, he reached the clearing and ran up to his two friends. Before Axel could even look up, Jesse ran straight into him as he tripped over a rock in the earth. Axel grumbled and pushed him off, but Jesse sprang back up immediately, staring excitedly at the person before him. The man smiled and commented, "You haven't changed much."

"I could say the same thing 'bout you," Jesse relied, grabbing the hand that was extended towards him. Axel preferred to get up on his own, and he started to head back to the Academy.

"Come on," he gruffly called. "We might as well all be here it at once instead of having to listen to your story seventy times."

They shrugged and followed the rough man back into the forest, Atticus bouncing.

**(AN: You guys are ready to attack me by now, right?)**

"Brron?!" Alexis shouted, trying to pull herself away from the Dark World monster. The mad creature cackled with insanity and simply pulled her closer. She could clearly make out every spike and scale on the creepy duel monster and couldn't help but blurt out, "I thought Jaden killed you!"

Brron cackled more. "It was the other way around! I killed your 'Jaden' and enjoyed it in that duel!"—more laughter—"Haou was the one that killed me! But you can't keep the Mad King down for long!"

Something clicked in Alexis' mind. "He revived **everyone**, didn't he? Jaden." Brron shut up.

"Well, that too."

"What do you want?!" Alexis demanded, still trying to pry away from him and stem her tears at the mentioning of Jaden's fall. Brron simply started laughing again, proving he was the mad king.

"I don't want you here of course! You were supposed to be so shocked that you woke up when you saw me, but apparently that didn't work! Marvelous! How did you do that Sadness?"

"Why do you keep calling me that and why don't you want me here?"

**"LEXI!!" **

"Atticus?" Alexis replied, turning around to look out at the waves. Brron shook her arm violently.

"Listen to me now—!"

**"WAKE UP TIME SISI!" **

"—don't ever come back. It's dangerous for—!"

"Shut up Atticus!!" Alexis shouted, sitting up in her bed angrily. She blinked, looking down at her sheets and then back up at Atticus, Jesse, Axel, and some random guys with a paper bag over his head. His arms were folded over his simple white T-shirt as if annoyed with the charade. "Oh, hello?"

"Do I _have_ to wear this Atticus? It's preposterous."

"YES! It's a surprise!" Atticus answered cheerfully. Alexis could almost see the person in the bag roll their eyes, but then her mind registered the voice. Axel leaned against the doorway as if bored.

"Bastion?!" Alexis shouted, jumping out of bed and with shock. He grumbled something like 'finally' and then proceeded to tear the bag off of his head and smile at her warmly. He offered her his hand, and she hugged him instead, stunning the general population in the room. "How've you been? Where've you been?" If one of her friends had returned, she was certain that he could too.

Bastion gave a nervous laugh and wormed out of her embrace. "I've been excellent, thank you for asking. As to where I've been, I was in the Dark World with Tanya. I was helping out her and her friends set up their society successfully. It has taken some time, but it was worth it. I'm simply stopping by to say hello."

"How'd you get out of the Dark World?!" Jesse gasped, his eyebrows arched high above his hairline. "We've been trying to break _in_ for years and we've got nothin'!"

Bastion contemplated this for a few minutes before coming up with an answer. "Err... perhaps it is because I now belong to both worlds..."

Everyone gave him a blank stare. Bastion simply replied, "I was referring to the fact that when the dimensions split back apart, I was the only one of us from Earth that was still in the Dark World. One of the energy beams that was going to combine the universes also came very close to my location, so I'm certain that I was exposed to some of its power."

"Oh," Jesse replied, his face still uncomprehending.

"But I digress, how have you all been? I can see that you and Alexis are staying here as teachers, but what of the others? Atticus, I'm guessing you're a pop-star; Syrus and Chazz are probably in the Pros, what about Hassleberry and Jim? Or Jaden?"

Everything came to a crashing halt. Alexis' eyes started tearing up before she hid them behind a mist of bangs, Atticus dropped the phone he had been dialing into, Axel frowned intensely and stood up straight, and Jesse let his jaw drop. "You mean... he wasn't with you?" Alexis whispered, barely audible. Her breath was coming a bit shallowly.

Bastion appeared to be just as alarmed as the rest. "No, I concluded that he came back. Are you all saying that you haven't seen Jaden since this incident ended?"

Jesse shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Only in our dreams," he managed. Atticus sat down on the floor, his head in his hands.

"I can't believe this," the brunette admitted. "I just can't think that Jaden's... that he's..."

"DON'T!" Alexis shouted, curling her knees to her chest and pulling them closer with her hands. "He's not dead! He's not! You can't give up on him!"

"Alexis," Bastion said gently, walking over to the hysterical woman and prying her out of her protective ball. "You may have to face the facts some day. No one wants to give up on Jaden; he has been in all of our hearts since he saved us in his first year. I don't believe in my heart that Jaden Yuki is dead, but logically, I know he most likely is."

"No! You're wrong!" Jesse shouted, snapping his attention to their friend. "He can't be! Just give Jay some more time! He'll pull through!"

"It's been three years," Atticus whispered behind his hands, his chocolate eyes unseen. "I wish I had never said those things to him..."

"Don't act like he's dead!" Alexis snarled at him.

"I agree with Alexis," Axel input suddenly. "You weren't there when I was fighting the Haou within Jaden. If you had been, you would know that there is no way in hell that he's dead. He's still out there, fighting."

Axel nodded once at Alexis and leaned against the wall, done talking. Jesse walked over to Alexis and sat down next to her as if choosing sides. Bastion sighed and pulled Atticus back up. The pop-star was frowning and his eyes were heartbreaking. His gaze fell on the locket that Alexis always had around her neck and he gave a dry laugh.

"That day at the beach was so much fun, I mean sure, we were cutting class, but it was still awesome. Remember when Jaden dumped all that sand on Chazz and he started chasing him around—" He never finished his sentence, because salty tears made their way into his mouth.

"I'll look for him," Bastion promised. "If I can get back into the Dark World, I won't stop until I find him, dead or alive."

Alexis didn't respond and Jesse still looked pissed, so Bastion dropped the subject. Atticus shifted in the uncomfortable silence and decided to make small talk. "So how long are you planning on staying here Bastion?"

"Just a few days, maybe a week," Bastion answered quickly, eager to break the icy grip that had seized them all. "I have to get back to Tanya and the others." Normally, Atticus would naturally respond to this and start teasing Bastion, but he had to force himself now.

"Oh? Bastion has to get to his Tanya-poo? So, are you married yet?" Atticus simpered with lack of his usual enthusiasm.

Bastion blushed anyway. "N-no, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure you don't."

"I don't!"

"Do too!"

"This is childish!"

"You _do_!"

"Don't!!"

"Do!"

"DON'T!!"

"Shut-up!" Axel roared, glaring at the lot of them. "This is pointless and stupid. Why don't the two of you settle this like men or go call your other friends so they can state their opinions?"

"OH!" Atticus exclaimed, picking up his cell phone. "I almost forgot!" He started dialing numbers and disappeared into the corridor.

"So?" Jesse said lamely.

"So," Bastion repeated sheepishly. "What has been going on lately in your careers?"

Jesse gave him a genuine smile and launched into the latest in his class. He talked a while about his students' skills and their duels with his usual excitement before something he said reminded him of Jaden and he perked down. Alexis remained silent throughout this entire ordeal; she was pondering the meaning of Brron's words.

_Why doesn't he want me to come back? Why did Jaden revive him too? Why could he see me and no one else could? _

"Alexis? Woo-who!" Jesse said, waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked.

"What?"

"Bastion asked you if anything interestin' is happenin'," Jesse replied smoothly.

"Not really," she mumbled. "All I have to do is grade some papers..."Bastion smiled kindly at her and offered to help. Jesse gave a blank look at the thought of grading, but then decided to help as well. "You don't have to do this you guys."

"We know! We just want to help!" Jesse exclaimed. Bastion nodded and tackled the stacks of papers with gusto, creeping the two teachers out the slightest bit. The trio sat quietly with only the occasional rustle of paper and scratching of pens to disrupt the easy silence. Atticus peeked in curiously while Axel walked out into the hallway. Neither of the older boys disrupted the scene with their passing and going, they allowed the trio to find some comfort in one another's presence while still digesting that Jaden was still missing, and more out of their reach now than ever.

Or so they thought.

_"Alexis..." _a familiar voice whispered just loudly enough to be heard as said female slipped into her rest that night. _"Alexis, please save my Jaden..." _

The monstrous purple eyes opened in her mind, and Alexis shot into wakefulness. _Yubel_.

_"He needs you..."_

**(hiding behind the entire Gx gang)**

**UH-OH, I'VE GOT TO STOP WRITING CLIFFHANGERS.**

**Nick: Then stop.**

**Me: LOOK! IT'S NICK! GET HIM W.H.E.N.!**

**Nick: Aww crap! (runs away)**

**Review please!**

* * *


	6. Coincidence? I think not

**(Authoress limps in with several medical objects)**

**(pants) I HATE krutches! I don't even care if I spelled it wrong!**

**Well, I didn't get killed, but injured a lot... **

**On with the story and possibly my early death!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SONGS I'VE USED IN THIS FANFICTION OR YUGIOH GX!**

**...DID YOU HONESTLY THINK I WOULD?**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5**

**(Alexis POV) **

Jaden is alive. He has to be! I know that was Yubel, and she wouldn't lie about her Jaden!!

_Right?!_

Confused, I continued my jog around the Academy on the dreary Sunday morning. My papers had been graded thanks to my friends so I didn't have to worry about that. Now all I had to do was get myself tired enough to drop dead for the rest of the day!

Some things that I've figured out about my dreams:

1) They're in the new Dark World, after whatever Jaden did to save it.

2) THEY ARE REAL

3) I wake up rested if they last long enough

4) I can actually _feel_ things, like exhaustion, in my dreams

It's a pretty short list and I'm not 100 percent sure that the first guess is right, but it's all I have to go by right now. And thanks to the last part, I'm trying to get in better shape so I can actually travel around in my dreams. I need to find Jaden!

Plus, in my stupid "real" world, working out wipes me out, so it's a win-win situation!

My breath came out unevenly and my legs were burning, but I kept pushing myself forward. Suddenly, a familiar bushel of blue hair came into view on my left and smiled weakly at me. "Hey Jesse."

"Mornin' Lex," Jesse replied. "Do you usually come out runnin'?"

"No," I panted truthfully. Sheeeeeeeeesh, how can he run and talk at the same time? "I just wanted to get back into shape you know."

He nodded with a strange glimmer in his eyes. I didn't like it; it made it seem like he knew why I was really doing it. Then he smiled and it was gone. "I'm out here cuz Ruby keeps getting on me to get my duff off the chair! Trust me, that little girl can get to ya after a few years!"

I frowned, his breaths were deep and even, his legs stayed at our fast pace easily, and his face wasn't flushed with the heat like mine. He was in amazing shape, so why was he claiming that his duel spirit was just now yelling at him to get out? Why was he lying?

"Plus, ya know, it's kinda like a release from everything that hasn't been happenin'," Jesse admitted after a pause. "Tires you out so you don't stay up all night ponderin' the 'what ifs'."

I felt my eyes soften slightly and nodded. "I know what you mean." In all honesty, the first week that Jaden had not come back, I had stayed out all night on our spot by the cliffs. At least I called it "our" spot; honestly, I had only talked to him there once (then Pierre had to come and ruin it). Back when I still had hope he was coming back on his own. Now I knew I had to go find him and bring him back!

We ran in the same comfortable silence that we had yesterday grading papers. Jesse was kind enough to keep my pace instead of blowing past me at his own, which I was glad for. This was one of those times that I needed someone by my side, someone to prove to me that the world wasn't as cold as I thought it was without my own personal sun.

Finally, my legs started to give out and I stumbled to an unbalanced stop, ending up with my butt in the grass. Jesse laughed, not unkindly, at my methods of stopping and offered his hand. I shook my head no. "Sorry Jesse, I'm done for today. You go on ahead."

"Are you sure?"—I nodded—"Alright then, see ya later Lex!" Jesse called as he started to jog away. Before he was out of earshot, I could have sworn he turned back to me and said, "And remember, they aren't just dreams!" But that couldn't have been true. Come on, Jesse didn't know what I was cooking up in my subconscious at night.

* * *

"I wonder if she heard me," Jesse said to Ruby. She blinked at him from her spot on his shoulder. He sighed and slowed down until he was at a fast walk. "Should I go back for her or keep going ahead?"

"You should keep going," Topaz Tiger growled as he appeared beside his master. "You shouldn't stop your progress that you've made. She most likely wants to be alone also; she's doing this for her own reasons as well."

"As am I," Jesse agreed, surprisingly serious.

* * *

**(Alexis POV) **

I walked back to my room silently, watching the dim sunlight drifting between the trees and shivering. I wanted to just lay down under those green arms and let myself drift away, but there was still something I had to do. I couldn't leave without being able to protect myself and Jaden. But what was wrong with my brunette friend?

Was he hurt?

Was he captured?

Was he dying?

Was his memory intact?

Questions, so many questions that I can't answer. Wasn't I a teacher in this strange fake world? Shouldn't I be the one answering questions instead of asking them? I didn't know anymore. I just felt like I was floating along alone in this bleak summer nightmare while the real world was snugly and securely hidden. Was I awake right now or was this my dream? When I'm dreaming am I actually dreaming? What if I'm just asleep right now and in reality I'm in the Dark World, asleep on that lonely rock?

I felt like I was losing my sanity. Of course this was the real, physical world. It just seemed like a false one because... because Jaden wasn't in this one. That must be it. Jaden brings life and happiness wherever he goes, so the world must have run out of it in his absence. I know we all have here on Academy Island who knew him.

"Ms. Rhodes?"

I didn't jump at the noise; it was just something that was in my way of finding Jaden, a worthless distraction. I turned and saw a neat mop of brown hair and gray eyes. "What is it Jenny?"

"I was wondering... well, we were wondering," Jenny started with her eyes averted. At 'we' I noticed two of her friends were standing behind her, fidgeting with their short Obelisk skirts. "You were friends with Jaden Yuki. Could you tell us what happened to him please? It doesn't seem fair that everyone here knows his face, but not his story. That isn't fair to someone who died to save us all."

I pushed back any tears that had surfaced at the truth of her words, trying to stay strong. "Jenny, I would love to tell you, but now is not the best time for me. I have some things I need to do for someone who is very important to me. Can this wait until later?"

Jenny looked disappointed and her friends frowned, but nodded. "Thank you for your time Ms. Rhodes," Briana, one of her friends, said to me. They walked away with their shoulders slouched down. I turned and headed back towards my room without a care. They could hear the story from Jaden himself if everything worked out in the end. _When_ everything worked out.

The pounding of my feet sent small waves of protest up my still burning legs as I marched myself past the doors of the teacher's Obelisk Dorm which had been built one year ago by workers from Mr. and Mrs. Yuki. They seemed to have taken Syrus' words to heart after these three impossibly long years had dragged by. They're doing everything they can to ensure that Duel Academy flourishes as a memento to their lost son. That's what he was, lost. All I needed to do was find him.

My hands turned the knob of my door surely and closed it slowly behind my form. I still felt almost nothing as I opened the drawer of my dresser and pulled out my old duel-disk and deck. I stared at them for a long time, just mulling over all of the things that these objects have done for me. They started my career in dueling prep-school, they made me into Duel Academy material, and because of this deck and duel-disk I met Jaden. It just seemed so surreal. I faced off against Jaden in the middle of a lake with this deck. I defeated a Shadow Rider with these while Jaden cheered me on. I became a member of the Society of Light with these and Jaden saved me. I was wearing this the last time I saw Jaden... And now these small pieces of heaven could help me back to him.

I put on the machine and slid my deck into the slot. Now all I had to do was find a place that no one could find so I wouldn't be disturbed. My wanderings around campus in my early years, my years of denial, had found me more than enough small secret escapes, but today they weren't where I desired to be. They were too perfect, too sunny and calming for my mood right now. I needed a new place, somewhere sheltered and secluded that no one would ever want to tread near. My feet brought me to the Abandoned Dorm and then into the small memorial graves behind the gates. My eyes slowly evaluated every crack and indent in the building until I found a nice spot to sit on the back porch. I snuck into the building from a large crack in the wall next to my spot and searched until I found a dusty couch to lie on.

Shivers cascaded down my back at the alien dangers to this building, even if I knew those dangers had vanished along with our Professor Banner. This place was cursed, was condemned to rot until it came tumbling into itself... like me. I was cursed to live in the darkness until I found my beacon. Without him, I would certainly wither away until I ended up on some bridge somewhere, staring down at the glossy water of my soon-to-be death.

"No, that's not going to happen to me," I chided myself without much conviction. "Jaden would have wanted me to live."

But then why would he leave? I can't live without you...

"I don't have to though," I told the darkness again firmly. "I'll find you somewhere Jaden. I'll keep on trying until my dying day if I have to!"

I snuggled down on the couch, sneezing slightly when dust attacked my nose. Listening to the sound of my own breathing, I calmed myself into a stupor and allowed my eyelids to flutter shut. I focused on slowing my heartbeats while keeping my body utterly still and calm. Already fatigued from my morning run, I descended into my world of sunlight.

I was no longer standing on that lonely rock jutting above the sea. Now I stared down at a huge memorial sight made of only the purest crystal. It was a saddening sight, shaped like a giant teardrop with a golden outline. Silver traced some words in the monument and roses scattered along the bottom. Turning to my right and left, I noticed I was in the center of a large city in the Dark World. People and Duel Monsters bustled about with cheery faces, some stopping to bow at the structure and others laying roses at its feet. Not exactly curious, I allowed myself to travel over to it.

To my surprise, I saw Burgandy standing before the impressive artwork with Claret and Maiden of Aqua at his side. "So he's returned," Burgandy was saying.

"I can't believe it, Yubel was able to save them both after all," Claret said thoughtfully. "I thought he had gone mad with grief because he failed, that's why he was trying to combine all of the dimensions and target that poor boy. I would have never guessed Jaden actually was the Haou that we all used to know."

Maiden of Aqua nodded. "That day was so bittersweet, wasn't it? I remember crossing the Castle's Sea with a few friends just so I could witness the awful tragedy myself. Do you know what we found? Plenty of people, no body, there was only a small patch of blood on the ground beneath this monument."

"We had just been saved by our young prince only to have his life stolen from that demon," Burgandy ground. "If it hadn't been for Yubel the other realms would have suffered our fate."

"I feel terrible for him. Haou and Yubel had been such close friends before all of this happened, they were almost like brothers. Whenever I would see one of them walking around the Kingdom, the other was always with them, it was rather cute how close they were."—Claret shook her head—"Why did fate have to choose Haou as the one? It put too much on such a young child."

"I don't know Claret," Maiden of Aqua said with a frown. "Haou didn't fail to save us, to save this world. It was a cheap trick that took him away from us. An arrow in the back right after he finished it. Cowards."

I froze. There was no way. No way that Jaden was dead. NO!

"Yes, but that's in the past now, there's no use dwelling on it," Burgandy inserted. "We have Haou back now, only he apparently has a new name."

"Freed called him Jaden Yuki," Claret inserted. "He said he met him before Jaden realized just who he was. Freed said that he felt something different about him when he first laid eyes on him. What does that mean? Freed would have recognized Haou right away, he was only the top knight."

"Freed was the top knight?" I repeated faintly. "What in the world are they talking about?"

"Where did Freed run off to anyway?"

"He went down to the seafront; he wanted to get some time alone."

"Well, he's had plenty of time now! Let's go get him; he can't stay worried about Haou Jaden for eternity!" Claret smiled gently. She took Staunch Defender's hand and led him away. Hesitating, I decided on impulse to follow them. I had nowhere else to go.

They talked about pointless things the entire way down, no more confusing or startling information about Jaden slipped out of their mouths. Grinding my teeth, I forced myself to keep walking forward. My legs ached a bit in protest from my mourning run, but I'd get over that soon enough. My desire to find Jaden will keep me going. Actually, I think that's the only thing that's keeping me going right now...

Suddenly the knight was in my view, his eyes staring over the waters at the ivory towers of the castle in the distance. He turned when he heard our footsteps, and then he looked directly at me.

* * *

**(Jesse POV) **

"Where's Lex Sy?" I asked Syrus quietly as he started to walk into the room. He jumped in surprise before regaining his composure.

"I don't know Jesse, I just got here. Why? Is she missing?" Syrus asked, his eyes lacking actual emotion. I sighed at the sad sight. Poor Syrus, he had to lose as much as Alexis had.

"Naw, just wonderin' where she's gone off too. I'm worried 'bout her is all. She's taking this pretty hard."

"Yeah, she wasn't very good friends with Bastion, was she? Still, she should be happy that one of our friends came back to us," Syrus answered. A small spark lit his eyes when his girlfriend, Emma, walked in behind him. I smiled faintly; maybe there was still hope for the bluenette after all. Emma was a few inches shorter than Syrus, but she still managed to reach up and kiss my cheek in greeting. I stared at her blankly.

"That's for making my Syrus smile," she said, wrapping her arms around the little duelist. "When he heard that Bastion was back, his face just lit up! Thank you so much."

I managed another weak smile as she continued to do that to everyone else in the room. Axel shot her a glare when he noticed what she was doing, causing her to hesitate and rethink. She settled for an air-kiss and a respectful bow before returning to Syrus. My shorter friend actually smiled at her, causing me to grin as well. Take good care of him Emma. None of us want to lose another friend.

Not that we lost Jaden. I'm not saying that.

Curious, I left the room of small-talk and grins to search for Alexis. I hoped she didn't try anything too drastic... she had seemed really broken up yesterday. Humming tunelessly, I half-jogged towards my female friend's room and gently knocked on the door. Not a soul answered so I slowly edged the piece of wood open. It was empty.

Frowning now, I started to look around to see any hints of where she could be. Her duel-disk drawer was open and empty. Hmm, was she dueling someone? Maybe a student had asked her for a practice duel...

Then a flutter of white caught my attention. A small scrap of paper was moving slightly from it's position above the air vent. Compelled, I snatched it up and unfolded it.

**_7/18/2020 _**

_Burgandy left to find the one who had saved them from Yubel. _

_Burgandy came back with a boy. Can't see face. He appeared to be injured in some way. _

**_7/19/2020 _**

_Claret, Maiden of Aqua, and Burgandy are talking. Worried about the boy. Afraid that he will die. The boy wakes up and talks to them about something, can't remember what. _

_Boy leaves note with his name: _

_"In this world, I have three names. I've been called Haou by my followers, Yubel by my own means, but my loved ones call me Jaden Yuki."_

**_7/20/2020_**

_Landed in a forest. Could feel trees and hands. Walked just fine. Heard his voice and followed it to a castle. No one could see/ hear me. Followed the voice more. Ended up on some rock. Brron tried to tell me something, but I woke up. _

_Yubel talked to me. _

_"Alexis... Alexis, please save my Jaden... He needs you..." _

I stared down at Alexis' neat handwriting in shock. What was this? She was keeping a record of all of her dreams? After a second I smirked. Bright girl. Carefully putting the paper back I walked out of her room and shut the door, whistling.

So Yubel was talking to Alexis in her dreams now? That was strange; I thought he was the jealous type. I know he was with me, thinking I had replaced his spot as Jaden's "brother-figure" as he called it when he possessed me. I shook my head and laughed quietly. Yubel really cared about Jaden a lot, just not in the way most assumed. They were strange, that pair.

"So Rainbow Dragon, what do ya think?" I absently asked my most powerful monster. He didn't appear (he was way too big to fit in this hallway) but answered through my deck hanging on my hip.

"I think you should find Alexis. She might be in trouble."

"She might," I agreed, concerned for a few seconds. "Do you know where she is?"

"Of course."

"Take me there please."

**(AN: I was going to end it there, but I decided to be nice... well nicer anyway) **

* * *

**(Alexis again) **

Freed was staring right at me, and he wasn't looking away. I moved to the right, so did his gaze. I moved forward, he stood up, ignoring his three companions. "You're that girl that was with Jaden," he said suddenly. "Alexis Rhodes."

I stared at him like his three friends. "Umm... who're you talking to Freed?" Claret asked. He looked at her.

"The girl behind you."

They all turned to look in my general direction, but did not see me. "What girl?"

"You can't see her?"

"No one can," I replied for him. "Well, Brron did, but he's mad. So he doesn't count."

Freed stared at me with intensity. "Why are you here?" he demanded, ignoring his friends.

"I'm searching for my friend. Yubel told me he needed help."

"On your own?"

"Apparently," I snipped, annoyed. "Do you know anything about where Jaden could be?"

"No."I started to turn away, but his hand caught my shoulder. "Yubel has spoken to you?"

"Yes." I was starting to get seriously annoyed here. "Let me go!"

"I know a place where you can talk to Yubel. He obviously wants you here for a reason."

"I thought Yubel was a girl."

"No, he's not. Now please follow me," Freed shortly answered. He starting walking back the way we had come. "Have you been to the memorial?"

"Yeah."

"Did you actually go up to it and touch it?"

"Why in this world would I do that?" I snapped at him.

"That is one of the places where Yubel's powers are the most prominent. There is a good chance that he will be able to contact you from wherever it is he resides after his battle with Jaden."

I was astonished. "Why?"

Freed shifted his gaze away. "That is the place where Haou died and Yubel saved him twenty years ago."

Jaden would be twenty years old now. Coincidence? I think not.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Yubel will tell you the story if he wishes to; it is not my place to intrude on his business."

"Now you listen to me!" I snarled at him, feeling anger and resentment flourish in my blood. "I've waited three damn years! I don't need someone else telling me that I have to wait to learn what happened to Jaden!! THREE YEARS!! I can't wait any longer! I can finally act, finally go and find my Jaden, and now you're telling me that you can't tell me something that's important to his life?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Freed stared me down with a nameless emotion splashed across his face. His lips moved wordlessly as if shocked, and I turned away from him. "You love him, don't you?" Freed said suddenly. My breath caught, no one had ever asked me that before. He took my silence as an answer. "You can't keep him waiting either Alexis."

I turned to say something, but we had reached the place of Haou's death. Freed motioned for me to walk forward and I complied. "Thank you," I whispered to him. He smiled softly and turned back to his confused friends who had followed us.

"Good luck Alexis Rhodes."

* * *

**Alright, I wrote the ending to this and I cried. I also wrote the ending to The Rising and cried too... IT'S A HUGE SOB-FEST!**

**Mel: I think she's snapped from the exams...**

**Me: Heh, I cry a lot! It doesn't mean their sad endings! They could be really happy! (I tend to cry for that too... dunno why)**

**Mel: But it's you. There is never a happy ending!**

**Me: Huh? Of course there are!**

**Mel: Well, in the end maybe, but not right away!**

**Me?? That makes no sense!**

**Mel: I give up!! (goes back into The Rising)**

**Anyway, break out the tissues for some heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes in the future! (Don't know when exactly...)**


	7. Love and Tragedy

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN YUGIOH GX!!  
HI EVERYONE! ANOTHER RANDOM UPDATE OF 2 MY STORIES IN A ROW (ISH)!! YAY!! NOW ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THE RISING... **

**MOVING ON, HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER, R&R!!**

**HOPE YOU ENJOY!!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6 **

**(Alexis POV) **

The crystal gently brushed against my skin, and yet it still allowed me to walk deep into the monument without encountering any resistance. Perhaps I was like a poltergeist of some sorts... able to feel but not entirely there.

"Hello? Yubel?" I voiced loudly, pounding my feet harder into the dirt ground with flares of determination. Nothing responded to my call. The beautiful lively crystal lights reflected around where I was, disgusting me. I shied away from their happy optimistic rays and into the shadows. Once there, I trained my eyes to adjust to the brightness in search for the demon that had caused all of this misfortune to happen to all of my friends. Although, I had no idea what he actually looked like, other than like a purple and black dragon as Syrus had once described him.

Why would Jaden even have a monster like that? I thought he was into the hero cards, not demons like him.

I kept flitting forward until I reached what I was roughly 90 percent sure was the center. Casting my glance down, I saw a small patch of red contrasting against the dirt floor. Surprised, I lowered my hand to see if it was still wet, if it was still fresh. It wasn't. This stain was very old, possibly even older than myself.

"I've been waiting for you Alexis."

My head jerked up. A strange and distorted reflection of a body appeared in the crystal, darting around me quickly before settling before my face. She... I mean he, was completely transparent and almost weak in appearance. I couldn't help but be surprised by this dramatic change. By Syrus' descriptions, Yubel was a formidable foe, not some weakling to be pushed aside.

Yubel laughed bitterly. "Yes, I can see in your face that my appearance stuns you. Do not think that I am this weak. The distance between us takes plenty of strength from me to appear."

"How far away are you? Are you with Jaden? Is he alright? Are—"

"Silence!" Yubel commanded, holding up his hand as if he could touch me. "I cannot answer all of your questions, I have limited time and strength until Jaden is aware of my absence."

"Why don't you want him to know that you're talking to me?" I wondered, hurt slightly when I pondered over the fact that Jaden may not want to see me.

Yubel rolled his dual colored eyes at me and folded his clawed hand across his chest. "You humans ask the stupidest questions. Do you not know that he doesn't want any of you following him? He believes that he had already put you in too much danger by even existing... that is why we both sealed off the entrance to the Dark World together."

"I want to help him," my voice was small and so unlike what it used to be. Strong, confident, slightly cold sometimes. Now it was weak, desperate, and faithless.

"I know that. And he needs help."

"Why can't you help him too Yubel? What's going on? Why am I here—how am I here?"

"Dreams have always touched the spirit world and others dear Alexis, you are the one who touched this world on your own. I only was able to keep you stable in here. You're here because you willed it to happen and I happened to be looking in on my old homeworld at the time. I'm afraid that is all I can do for you at the moment; our travels interfere with anything else I can do."

I noticed how he completely avoided the first questions, but let is pass for now. "Where is he? Can you take me here?"

"Sadly, no. I can only help you along to places where my power has been the most prominent. We are far away from any of these spots."Yubel started to shift around uneasily and his form became fuzzy around the edges. "In fact, we aren't in this dimension at all."

I didn't speak or let surprise linger on my face. Yubel was going to have to answer on his own.

"We are in the twelfth dimension currently, and will be there for quite a long time. I can only show you the way now, but it will expend the last of my energy that I can use on you. After I show you the path, I can't help you anymore."

"Yubel, what am I saving Jaden from?" I asked him pointedly.

"From the past," he whispered just loudly enough to hear. "From history repeating itself. This time, I cannot do anything to save him... and he knows it."

"What do you mean?" I demanded, but was cut off. The crystal around me bent at awkward angles, shattering into a rainbow of shards. Now I was in deep blackness with Yubel at my side. We were hurtling forward, I could tell because of a harsh wind hitting my face. "What're you doing?!"

"Answering your question," Yubel said pointedly. I glanced over at him; small tears were at the corners of his eyes. Yubel noticed me and brushed them away. "It is not a pleasant memory for me." We finally settled in the castle grounds across the sea. A young boy with purple hair and green eyes was speaking to someone who appeared to be King.

* * *

_(Flashback) _

_"Yubel, listen carefully!"the King commanded, turning to face the boy. _

Already stunned, I turned towards the Yubel who stood next to me. He nodded.

_"Yes," the boy called Yubel answered loyally. _

_"When the universe was both from nothing, it was divided into darkness and light. The light disappeared soon and darkness filled the universe and raised up many lives. However, the light of destruction that holds overwhelming power will start shining again to invade the kind darkness. When that time comes, the power to protect the kind darkness and make the wave of light retreat is necessary." _

_"Yes," Yubel repeated. _

_"Your friend was born with mighty Supreme King power in his heart. That power will save the universe by wrapping it with the kind darkness. But until that boy's heart grows to adult, someone needs to protect him." _

_"Your Majesty, please give me that role," Yubel said in determination. His eyes blazed with passion towards the King, who seemed to know that would be Yubel's answer all alone. Still, the King continued, warning the younger Yubel of the cost. _

_"But in order to protect that boy, your body must be equipped by the armor of hard scale that can't be harmed by anyone. Your young and incredible body will become the form of a hideous and unsightly dragon." _

_"I don't care... if that will make me able to protect him," Yubel replied firmly, his long purple hair shacking as he nodded his head. _

"Yubel..." I said from our view point in the clouds.

"It's not over with Alexis, wait."

I obeyed quietly, twisting my hands together in nerves. I still didn't understand what was going on. This was the Dark World, apparently before it was cast into shadows, and Yubel had been a young human boy with connections to the King and some child who could save the universe from the light...

Oh my God. My eyes widened and a hand flew to my mouth in reflection of when I had first seen Jaden wandering in my dreams. Oh my God. There's no way!

Jaden was this boy?! Jaden lived in the Dark World?!

It couldn't be! But it made some sense! Jaden defeated the light and saved our world, so it must be him! But how?!

The scene changed and flickered in front of my eyes.

_Yubel lay on a stone table with masked people surrounding him. A cloth covered his eyes and he was bound tightly. The men started toiling with his eyes, changing his body in ways that shouldn't be done. _

Oh my God. I had to turn away; I was going to be sick. How could they do this to a child?!

"I wanted this Alexis," Yubel told me as if he read my thoughts. "I wanted to protect him with my life."

_"Yubel!" a familiar voice burst. The doors burst open, illuminating the dark room with light. The new arrival had short brown hair with a messy lighter color on the top; his eyes were big and brown with shock. He wore blue clothing that belonged only on a prince and a long blood-red cape. Standing in the doorway... _

I felt the world around me grow quiet and still as I stared into his eyes. Jaden stared right ahead in Yubel's memory, horrified by whatever these men were doing to Yubel. I wanted to go touch him, hold him, but I couldn't. He was so close, so young, and so unattainable.

_Jaden closed his eyes tightly and ran forward towards Yubel, fighting back tears. The scene drifted away again. _

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder and looked up into the orange and green eyes of Yubel. How could my love compete with his for Jaden? He had given up everything that he had to just be able to protect him, and I only hurt him.

"Now do you understand?" Yubel said his voice gentle. "I was only trying to protect him. I love him more than anyone knows... but not in the way everyone thinks."

I ignored the touching scene that appeared before our eyes; Jaden and Yubel were sitting on that lonely rock next to the castle. Jaden kissed Yubel's hand and told him his love was only for Yubel. It broke my heart; it just hurt so much to see that.

"He doesn't mean it like that either Alexis," Yubel suddenly said. "Perhaps I should show you more so you can understand. The bond that Haou and I shared was nothing in the actual romance part. I loved him like he was my younger brother, and I despised to see him hurt. We were very close. I was Haou's closest friend and he was mine. Haou was not allowed out of the castle very often, he was the Prince and his father forbade him from leaving after his Queen had been assassinated on a morning stroll. We had both been very lonely."

"I don't... it's just how is all of this happening?" I fumbled.

Yubel ignored me. "My family was upper middle class, but my father worked for the King and my mother helped the Queen with Haou's birth. She had me a few months earlier. She told me once that we were destined to be at one another's side, she knew it when we started playing with each other at such an early age. She said it was almost like we were brother in blood as well as in spirit... I was avoided by most when the light first appeared in our world. It targeted the royal family, and my parents died sacrificing themselves for Haou's parents, the King and Queen. I was orphaned suddenly, an outcast. Haou took me under his wing and helped to comfort me for my loss. I did the same for him when he lost his mother. We became inseparable. That is why the King approached me with that job; he knew I would take it to heart and defend my 'little brother' until the day I died."

He paused suddenly, his clawed hand resting on his heart. "I failed."

_A man stood tall on the lonesome rock facing the sea. He was staring passionately across the dark water into the distance with a demon at his side. "This is strange," Haou commented to Yubel lightly. "This is where it all began for us..." _

_"And now we're standing here to start ending it," Yubel finished simply, placing his arm on Haou's shoulder. "You've grown into an incredible person Haou, I'm proud of you." _

_"It's all thanks to you Yubel," Haou replied with a small smirk on his handsome face. He glanced at his duel-disk as if double-checking it was there. It had become something of a habit to him in these past rough years, something that he had to do. He wasn't a Prince anymore. Now he had to be a warrior. He had to save everyone. He would not hesitate to sacrifice his own life if that meant he could force the Light of Destruction out of the universe. Yubel knew it too. _

_"Are you ready brother?" Yubel asked, opening his arms for Haou to climb on. _

_"With you by my side? Always," Haou responded with a smirk that betrayed his actually feelings. _

_Doubt _

_Anger _

_Hatred _

_Sadness _

_Pain _

_All caused by their enemy. All caused by the light. And now, he was finally avenging his family—no—his entire Kingdom. But even as he struggled with Yubel in this vast sea of darkness and justice, there was still a glimmer of hope in him that had yet to be extinguished. Hope that Yubel had shown him all of those long times ago on this rock, hope that love can still exist for eternity. It wasn't the type of love he had heard or read about, but he knew it was pure, and that's what kept him holding on. _

_Yubel was his tourniquet, if you will. He had always been his protector, even before he bore the burden of dragon armor. He was always there when he needed him, and Haou made sure he was there for Yubel as well. Their bond could not be broken by arguments or romance with another person; they had the stability of a brotherhood so strong that not even the devil himself could force them to separate. _

_"Haou?" Yubel suddenly asked, his dual colored eyes distant. _

_"Yes?" _

_"Do you remember what we promised each other after my parents died?" Yubel pensively wondered. _

_"How could I forget something like that?" Haou replied with a frown. "Why?" _

_"Will you make it again?" Yubel quietly pleaded. Haou's frown deepened. _

_"We aren't children anymore Yubel, you know that this won't change anything." _

_"Please, brother, just promise me. It eases my fears." _

_Haou's tone softened. "I promise that we'll always be together, that we'll always stay fighting and we'll never die alone. I promise that only you will be my big brother, my Protector." _

_"Thank you Haou," Yubel whispered. "I promise that I'll always be with you, that my love will never die. I promise that we'll stop the light and save your father, your people, and your Kingdom." _

_"Our, Yubel, our," Haou said strongly. "Our father, our people, and our Kingdom." _

_"Our... yes, our!" Yubel agreed with a smile on his lips. He scooped Haou into his arms and spread his long wings, taking off over the water. Absently, Haou trailed his hand in the surf, sending small drops scattering all around them. His reflection wasn't smiling, but it appeared to be happy. _

_"We used to do this so much when we were younger," he suddenly said. "I miss it." _

_Yubel tightened his grip on the Prince with the power to save the Universe slightly. "So do I. When all of this is over, why don't we go flying for a while? Just get away from everything." _

_"It's a deal," Haou agreed, patting Yubel's arm with his slightly wet hand. _

"We never got to do that," Yubel inserted to Alexis as the scene shifted over pointless time traveling.

"Yubel, I don't..." I said in confusion. What was going on?

"Just keep watching Alexis."

_Haou appeared in the city across from the ocean, his red and gold duel-disk deployed and his feet squarely set. His brown hair was longer and he was taller than me. He wore a simple red cloak and a black shirt with white trims. His pants were dark and scratched up from the result of a duel he was locked in. People dressed completely in white surrounded him in a sea of faces, held at a comfortable distance by an orange ring of power coming from the outstretched hands of Yubel. _

_"Master!" the people called towards Haou's opponent as Haou's eyes switched from gold to brown. The man on the other side of the field took a step back, but he knew there was no escaping from Haou's monster. His face was hidden behind a mask of pure snow, masking the demon held within. A white aura pulsed around the trembling man, making him appear mad. _

_The field still held the smoke of the monsters that had just been cleared out of the way. Yubel, the great dragon protector, stood tall and proud next to the man who was roughly twenty years old. "Finish this Winged Inferno!" Haou shouted, his fist punching the air and his brown eyes blazing with triumph. The powerful female monster complied, attacking the man on the other side who was engulfed in a white aura. _

_"Agggggggggggrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh!" the vessel for the light screamed as the wave of light left from his body. The shapeless monster twisted and screamed in agony as its form was engulfed in orange dust and its minions fell to the ground, confused and thankful for the man that had just saved them. _

_"Father!" Haou called to the man that fell. He rushed forward and lifted the fallen King's head onto his lap. He was sleeping peacefully. _

_"He's alright brother," Yubel smiled, placing his hand on the King's brow. "The light cannot hurt him for much longer." _

_"NOOOO!" the light shouted. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" It flared out suddenly, the light blinding all in the area except for Haou and Yubel. "YOU WILL FALL HERE AND NOW!" Haou did not even look up at the dying force as he addressed it. _

_"It's over here," Haou coldly told the monster. "You've been defeated. You know what happens to losers here, Light of Destruction. It's what I've had to do to ensure that your rein over my people will end. These are Life and Death duels and you know it. Now your minions are freed from your control in my world. We will travel into the other realms as well to rid them of any surviving influence. You've lost." _

_He stood up and glared at the fading Light of Destruction fiercely. "Now rot in Hell." _

_In agony, the Wave of Light finally exploded in a shower of orange sparks. Yubel slung Haou's father over his back and then wrapped his arms around Haou. "It's finally over." _

_Haou nodded, looking at Yubel kindly. "No, Yubel, I think it's just beginning." He hugged his friend tightly and smiled like he had not done in years—long agonizing years. "Now we can abolish the Life and Death duels again, we can rebuild this world, we can help the others, and we can just go flying again! We don't have to live like hunted men anymore; we are free dear brother, finally free!" _

_Yubel's eyes brimmed with tears of joy at his dearest one's words. He wrapped his free arm around Haou, enjoying the moment. They both knew that their struggle was long from over, but knowing that their home was safe was reason enough to celebrate. _

This was nice, _Yubel decided. Not one of the citizens that surrounded them gave him condescending glances or said wounding insults, they were all smiling and rejoicing with their Prince and his Protector. Their King was safe, their world was saved, and they had all made it. Of course, moments like this can't last forever, but no one expected it to end quite like this. _

_"My Master will rise again! And it will start with your death Prince!" Heads whipped in multiple directions, swords drawn and children shielded by mothers. _

_TWANG! _

_The sound of the arrow was unusually loud, as if it was amplified by the world's shock. Yubel raised his hand and head just in time to see a man dressed in white escaping into another dimension. "Haou, we must—!" _

_A jolt raced through the man's body held in his arms. _

_No. _

_A chocking sound escaped from his lips, followed by a trickle of red fluid. _

_No. _

_His body went limp, bringing the mighty Protector to his knees. _

_"HAOU! NO!" _

_Everything became still. The only noise was the constant dripping of red against the dirt at their feet flowing from a white arrow in Haou's back, piercing his heart. _

_His eyes were dimming, but they searched for the source of distressed sobbing coming from Yubel. "We failed..." he whispered, barely having enough strength left to speak. Yubel dropped the unconscious King to the ground and gently held Haou close to his body, burying his head in Haou's hair. "I'm sorry... brother..." _

_"NO HAOU! Please don't die brother! PLEASE!" Yubel sobbed, bringing him closer. "You shouldn't say you're sorry! It was my fault! I could not protect you!" His eyes faded even further, morphing into gold as his weak heartbeats started to fail. _

_"You didn't know Yu... bel... no one... knew... please, take care of my father... and the Kingdom... don't let it fall..." His body started to slowly shut down as Yubel stemmed the flow of blood with his hands. "I love you brother... remember that you're never alone as long as that's true..." _

_"Don't give up yet! I can still... I can still try and save you! We can still fight and save the universe from the light Haou! Please, don't give in!" Yubel pleaded with the dying man. _

_"Promise me... you'll always... stay strong..." His eyes closed softly and his body became limp. Those were words that only someone who was about to die would speak. _

_"Haou?! Don't leave me! I can't do this without you!" Yubel said in anguish. "We promised that we would fight the light together! Please Haou!" _

_"We will... I'll... always be... at your... side...Yu... bel..."Haou's voice breathed with finality. His heart-rate was almost flat lining, and everyone could tell that he was an inch from death. Distressed sounds cascaded from the mourners for their fallen hero. _

_"No! This isn't over! I can still try!"Yubel had to do it know if Haou was going to be saved. He couldn't defeat the light without him! No, he couldn't _**live**_ knowing that he could have saved him but was too cowardly to try! _

_Haou's form was already starting to glow faintly. Trembling, Yubel put his hands on the wound and his body glowed bright orange as well. _

We will never be alone.

_Meshing with his tears, it created a sad, soft illusion of hope. The arrow disintegrated into nothing, and the faint traces of light from the wound reversed into darkness. _

If I fail again...

_"At least..." whispers rose from Yubel's blue lips. "... you won't die alone..." _

_Onlookers shielded their eyes as Yubel and Haou erupted into a blinding burst of energy, streaking upwards into the rapidly darkening night sky, and leaving this world and a small patch of blood behind. _

I can't live without you.

_(End Flashback) _

"I don't understand!" I blurted out. I was practically pulling my hair out with anxiety. "Haou is Jaden, but Jaden couldn't be Haou because Haou was here and Jaden was there... it makes no sense!"

"That happened twenty years ago Alexis. Haou is very much the Jaden you know, the reason he has become so dark is my fault." I looked up at Haou's Protector, not following. "Jaden... is sort of like the reincarnation of Haou."

"What?!" it burst from me as if I had kept in contained for my entire life. It was loud and betrayed and confused, everything I was now and would ever be it seemed. Yubel cut my rant short with a sharp movement with his hand.

"I saved Haou. That is a power that I have, I can reverse events, but I can only do it once without a sacrifice. And before you ask, the sacrifice must be love, which is why I could not just randomly kill a person walking down the street in order to reverse something; it has to be very special."

"Explain what you mean by reverse."

"Death and Rebirth. Love and Indifference. Good and Evil. Remember and Forget. Dark and Light. That is what I mean Alexis. This power of mine is very strange and difficult to contain. It was very risky, what I did."

"How so?" I said, still confused but wanting to understand. _Needing_ to understand.

"Instead of reviving Haou, I could have killed myself and successfully eliminating every resistance to the Light of Destruction. Or I could make Haou change negatively, like you heard about."

"How did that happen Yubel?"

"It was the arrow that pierced Haou's heart. The surviving fragments of the Light of Destruction bathed it in the light to ensure it would take away Haou's life. The presence was still in his heart when I acted, so it was reversed into darkness of heart, sealing away most of the Haou I knew deep within his mind along with any memories of us that he had known. When he was born into the human world, I was so happy. His eyes weren't the hostile gold that they sometimes became in dangerous situations; they were that shade of chocolate brown that I trusted. The parents named him Jaden. If that was the only adjustment we had to make, I could handle it. I thought that everything had worked out in the end. I thought that I could watch over little Jaden until he grew older and then I could tell him everything about us, I could show him the same things you just witnessed. Of course, we both know that didn't work out."

"I was happy watching over Jaden and playing with him while he was young, but I grew overprotective of him. I was just so afraid to lose my little brother again that I overreacted to nearly everyone that became close to him, and I became jealous of Osamu, who Jaden always called big brother. That was my title, my name. No one else could be called that," Yubel sighed. "It appeared as if I had suffered more emotional damage than I thought by almost losing Haou. I took everything and everyone as a threat to Jaden and he did not understand why I acted this way. He should have been thankful that I was just a duel spirit on Earth, otherwise his friends would have been more than mentally damaged." His tone darkened, full of malice and deceit.

"Still, he sent me away. He sent me into space to try and absorb gentle darkness, positive energy from the wave of justice." Yubel snickered bitterly. "It was a good plan for such a young child, but there was also another force present... an old enemy that managed to rebuild itself in our absence for the other worlds."

"The light?" I guessed. Yubel nodded.

"I was helpless in my current form, trapped in outer space. It entered me and twisted my mind to get its revenge on Jaden. It made me confuse my affections for him with pain; it made me want to hurt him in all of the ways that I was. It enjoyed watching its sworn enemy be destroyed by his own closest friend." He stared at me avidly, gauging my reaction. I still couldn't react to any of this; I was still in too much shock. "That is why I need your help Alexis. I cannot save him from the light this time; now that it has possessed me there is nothing I can do to stop it."

"He's alive..." I whispered, hardly able to believe it. More tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. "Jaden's really alive..."

Yubel smiled at me. "You sound like I did when he was reborn into your world... Jaden is a precious soul Alexis; I don't ever want to have to lose him again."

"I know the feeling," I responded quietly.

"Now you understand?" Yubel smirked, crossing his fading arms idly. "Good. Now I can show you the way. Please hurry; there is no telling how long it will take for Jaden to locate the vessel containing the mastermind of the Light of Destruction. If you can't tell by what I've shown you, the Light intends to repeat history now that it knows I can't reverse it any longer. Please Alexis, save him!"

I nodded fiercely while extending my arm with my duel-disk on it. "I won't let Jaden down!"

Suddenly, the town came back into view and we shot across it. I tried to keep track of the turns and alleys, but lost them just as quickly as I observed them. The dragon beside me did not speak, his eyes did not open, but his mouth moved rapidly. Waves of green grasses tickled at my feet and soon rocks replaced it. We scaled a small hill effortlessly and flew over another small village. I noticed a familiar face in the sea of people before it was snatched away by momentum. Just beyond the village, we stopped. Yubel pointed skywards and a small gasp escaped my lips.

It was like someone had taken their hands and ripped a hole in the vast blue. A tear ran along the sky. It was a deeper blue on the inside than its surroundings. "I can get you through there if you can make it without getting in trouble," Yubel said suddenly. He was panting, struggling to hold his transparent form.

"How can I get in trouble? No one can see me."

"Almost no one," Yubel panted, falling onto his knees. The images raced into the dimensional gap and we were standing on a beautifully lush mountain valley with cities dotting the cliffs. "Human's you've met can see you, but that is all they can do. Duel monsters you've met can hear, touch, and see you. And there are some... some that can naturally! Some that have been trapped here by... our enemy and... will try to do... the same to you! Don't let yourself... fall prey to their hands. You'll waste away... in your world until your body dies... leaving you trapped as a spirit here. You must not listen to them!"

"Who?" I asked bleakly. Yubel turned and looked at me in the eyes for the first time.

"They look like anything, anyone. Some want to help you, others will only hurt you. Please promise that you won't... fall for any of their tricks... Jaden wouldn't recover if... you were to be hurt in that way... He cares for you all deeply." Yubel started to slowly fade away as our surroundings neared a bustling part of the mountainside cities. Every face was wearing white clothes.

"Wait! Why are you with Jaden?! What happened after you dueled?!"

"Jaden..." Yubel smiled softly, his eyes actually appearing happy. "Jaden used Super Fusion... to fuse his soul with me... so I wouldn't have to be alone anymore... and save me from being infected by the light as I was."

Yubel was fading away fast, drifting back into and tunnel hidden behind a hotel and into a dark room that led God knows where. "It is my hope, Alexis, that you're love is stronger than mine."

The scent of pines and moisture faded from the air and was replaced with a musty scent of the abandoned dorm as I came out of my sleep. Muddled, I grabbed my pocket journal that I had started to carry around and scribbled down everything that had happened. When I was satisfied, I allowed myself to just lie on the old furniture, trying to take everything in.

I should be happy. I had just found out Jaden is alive! I should be dancing around the room like a young child instead of just lying here in the dark. Why can't I feel happy for once? Is it because Jaden is still in danger?

Or is it the fear of failing him like Yubel did?

"Why didn't you tell us Jaden... why won't you ask for our help?!" I was suddenly shouting, throwing things, making uproar in the large deserted building. "You always help us, but why can't we help you?! Damn it Jaden! I want to save you! I love you so much!!" I fell to my knees in frustration. That was the first time I admitted I loved Jaden out loud. It felt good. "I love Jaden," I repeated again, dazedly. "I love him... I love him more than anything or anyone..."

And I'm going to save you. Even if I have to die for you.

* * *

**(JESSE POV) **

"Why didn't you tell us Jaden... why won't you ask for our help?! You always help us, but why can't we help you?! Damn it Jaden! I want to save you! I love you so much!! I love Jaden. I love him... I love him more than anything or anyone..."

"I hope you do Alexis," I whispered, leaning against the wall of the Abandoned Dorm with stress. "It's the only thing that will keep you going. You have no idea what you're up against..."

"The world?" Rainbow Dragon offered his master. I shrugged.

"When isn't it against us?" I laughed humorlessly. It was so true. Why was that?

"Never," Rainbow Dragon agreed. A pause. "She's coming out now, are you going to leave?" I nodded.

"Can't freak her out yet, can I? She still needs to learn more before she takes the leap."

* * *

**YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!! JADEN'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE!! I CAN'T KEEP HIM 'DEAD' FOR LONG!! **

**(ESPECIALLY NOT THE NEW HOT ONE . )**

**PREVIEWS ARE UP ON MY PROFILE IF YOU WANT TO GET A GLIMPSE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! **

**THANKS FOR READING!**

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	8. Options

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GX!**

**IS TWITCHING LIKE CRAZY**

**JUDAI: WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER?**

**MELODY: SHE JUST WATCHED GX 136... DUBBED...**

**ME: AHHHNESS! IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HORRIBLE! THEY RUINED THE SWEETNESS! RUINED IT! IT BURNSES US! IT BURNSES US!**

**(I SWEAR THE VOICE ACTOR FOR JADEN ONLY HAS ONE TONE WHEN HE USES HIS VOICE!)**

**AND THEN INSTEAD OF SAYING 'DISAPPEARS OR KILLED' THEY CALL GOING SPARKLE-POOF**

**"BEING SENT TO THE STARS!" WTF!**

**I LAUGHED WHEN BRRON WAS LIKE, "AND SOON THE REST OF YOUR FRIENDS WILL BE SENT... TO THE STARS!"**

**IT'S JUST SO RIDICULUS! COUGHS ALRIGHT, I'M BETTER NOW. I'M WORKING ON GOLDEN EYES BUT DUELS ARE ALWAYS HARD FOR ME TO WRITE, SO BE PATIENT PLEASE!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**(Alexis POV)**

The smooth leather rubbed against the skin on my legs in an irritating way as I watched my students diligently work on their review packets for their test the next day. I couldn't say their dedication made me smile, because I knew that there was not one thing left on this world that could. All I had to do was wait until I could break free from the classroom to sleep. My mourning jog had exhausted me quickly this morning and my muscles were screaming at me to get some rest.

_My conversations with Jesse had been nice this morning though_, I thought. _He seems to be making sure that I'm really alright after my... episode when I first saw Jaden. _

"Ms. Rhodes?"

I glanced up from the paper that I had been doodling on absently in mild surprise. Jenny had her hand raised up high and the rest of the class had become eerily silent. They were all staring at me intently as if I had forgotten to wear pants or something.

"Yes Jenny?" I asked her kindly.

"Will you please tell us all about that boy—Jaden Yuki?" she asked forwardly. "You told me you would, and everyone wants to know about it... and that's why we've been working so hard. Now we're all finished with our work and we don't have anything else to work on. Please Ms. Rhodes?"

I stared at my students blankly. They were all nodding their heads at the young girl's words eagerly, the curiosity on their faces apparent. I faltered. Jaden was the last thing I wanted to talk about, even if I now know where he is. This had become sort of like my own private mission that no else had to know.

But they looked so much like I had that first week that Jaden had been missing, desperate for any information. I couldn't turn them down without wounding myself as well.

"As you may or may not know," I started, standing fluidly and smoothing out the creases in my tan skirt. "Jaden Yuki was my closest friend in my years here at Duel Academy." Every head was turned towards me, every pair of eyes on my own. "He was an amazing person and I only wish... I only wish that he was here right now so that you could all meet him. Jaden was a very powerful duelist; he used Elemental Heroes and Neospacians mainly. He likes to duel for fun instead of just to win, which makes him really great to be around. He's saved my life quite a few times..."

* * *

**(Time skip) **

My class walked out of the classroom in a stunned silence, the end-of-the-day bell still ringing loudly in their ears. I watched them feeling strangely satisfied, as if I had just fulfilled some kind of a sacred duty by passing on Jaden's story. Slowly, I gathered my papers up into my bag and left the classroom, counting my steps for some reason.

Chazz tried to intercept me on the way to my room but I gently let him down telling him I was tired and was going to relax for a few hours. However, my brother got caught in the mix and soon I found myself being dragged off to the beach to hang out with everyone else like 'old times' now that Bastion had come back. I had almost rudely snorted in Atticus' face when he said 'old times'. In the 'old times' it was Jaden who was always putting these beach days together and not because one of our friends had just returned from an alternate dimension after a three year absence.

I only made a few minimal arguments against them though; the weather was rather appealing today. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to drift off on the beach too. Fortunately, the beach was rather empty today, not many students seemed to be running around, which was normal considering I had just solved one of their mysteries and they were probably gossiping about Jaden right now. I was suddenly aware that Atticus had let me go and was in the water in his wetsuit and surfboard, waiting for the waves. Syrus was on the shoreline hesitantly while Emma was trying to coax him into the water. Chazz was simply staring off into the distance and he would occasionally swat at something I couldn't see in the air. Aster was laying on a towel a little off to the right.

I sat down quickly on a towel that someone had lain out for all of us and stretched. The sun beat down cheerily on my body, and suddenly hope blossomed into existence in my chest. I had not felt the sun in years. I hadn't felt Jaden's touch so close to me in so long...

I jumped as a new weight appeared at my side. Jaden!

Blinking the sunlight away, I let out a sigh of disappointment. It wasn't Jaden, it was Jesse. He had lain on the other end of the blanket and was soaking in the sun rays to dry the ocean off of him. As I looked at him, I couldn't help but wonder why he had told me that he only got out and ran in the morning because Ruby had yelled at him. He was incredibly fit already, why would he lie about his motivation?

I found suddenly that I really didn't care.

I had a mission, I can't forget the mission. I'm coming Jaden!

I let the sound of the others and waves lull me into a blissful doze until my subconscious relented to the overpowering force of slumber. When I woke up I was laying down at the base of Haou's memorial. Standing up briskly, I stretched and bowed to my fallen prince and started walking in the general direction that Yubel had led me. I remembered one thing for certain; the town was in the east, towards the rising sun.

As I walked, people ignored me, occasionally walking right through me as if I wasn't even there. Which, I guess, all of me wasn't according to Yubel. But I kept on moving, ignoring the pressuring loneliness that threatened to overtake me. I did not like being invisible anymore.

At that moment, a man collided into my shoulder, sending me stumbling to the ground. I looked up, completely shocked by the touch, and into the eyes of someone around maybe twenty-two years of age. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry Miss!" he exclaimed, dropping the book that he had had his nose buried in a few seconds ago. I just stared at him. How could he see me? How could he _feel_ me? "Miss? Are you alright? Did I hurt you! I'm sorry! I didn't mean any harm! I just didn't see you with... well my nose buried in my book!"

"I'm fine," I curtly replied, fear rising up in me. Yubel had said that some people had the natural ability to see people like me, but he also said that most of them would want to hurt me because of their ties to the light, even if they can't stir any trouble without their master I suppose. Their master was eleven worlds away, I think I'm safe. I hope.

He offered his hand, which I ignored, and then noticed that everyone was giving him peculiar looks. "What?" he asked curiously. They shrugged, walking away from the loon talking to the dirt. Now was a good enough time than ever to escape this man. I stood and started to walk away. "Wha—wait!" he called after me, jogging to my side and stowing his book in a bag slung from his shoulder. I picked up my pace unconsciously. Oh Ra he's following me, go away, go away, oh _please_ go away! "The least I can do is walk you home; I apologize for running into you."

I shot him a look that clearly said 'bugger off' but he ignored me, his startling red eyes reflecting my dirty look. "No thank you." He didn't leave, just stayed by my side like an annoying bug I couldn't get rid of. He was silent for the longest time, looking at my duel-disk that was strapped to my arm since I had it on in class today. "What is it...?"

"Kennean," he said to my lack of a title to call him. His long black bangs fell in his eyes suddenly. "Name's Kennean." He stopped suddenly, falling silent and allowing me to leave him in my trails. I didn't reply with my name even though it probably couldn't be that dangerous here in Jaden's "home-town" for lack of a better phrase. Then he said something that made me flee for my life. "You're one of _them_, aren't you? The dream walkers."

I bolted when he said that. He knew! He knew that I wasn't supposed to be here! He knew that I wasn't... well whatever it was that he was! I ran as hard as I could, ducking down alleys occasionally, running directly through people whenever necessary. After running for about a good twenty minutes I collapsed onto the grass on the skirts of town, panting heavily. I had almost been caught! Who knows what that guy would've done to me!

But he didn't. I can still keep moving.

I still have a shot at saving Jaden.

"You know," Kennean's deep voice smirked in my ear, "it isn't that easy to get away from a duel-monster." I froze completely. His voice was even, lacking any apparent effort from the run that just rendered me breathless. Oh no. How could I have messed up so badly already! I'm sorry Jaden!

I guess I just wasn't good enough...

"Now are you going to answer my question or do we have to play cat and mouse all day?"

My gaze hardened. No, I couldn't give up, not with Jaden's life on the line. I looked up at Kennean and his perfect duel-monster face and then punched it as hard as I could. To say the least, he was startled.

He went down to the ground, his hand smothering his probably broken nose—nose into the brain my mom always said—and I walked away calmly until I was at what I deemed a safe dueling distance. With a casual flick I activated my duel-disk and drew my cards with a bit of attitude, showing this guy that I had had enough of him already. His managed to open his eyes to look up at me in surprise and them down at his hip where his duel-disk hung from his belt. I didn't give him the chance. "Cyber Tutu!" my monster appeared in a flash of pink, her hand on her hips and an angry glare on her face. "Attack!"

"Whoa! Hold up lady!" Kennean jumped, flying quicker than humanly possible to the side. There was a small flash of light and he let go of his nose, which had just healed over. "I'm not _that_ kind of duel-monster! I'm a good guy!"

"If I had a dime for every time I heard that," I rebuked, pointing Cyber Tutu at him again. She took a swing at his head, which he blocked with some difficulty and tried to reason with my monster instead. She loyally ignored him until she had finally gotten a good kick in and he went flying a good ten feet away. "Thanks Tutu." She nodded, but stayed at the ready.

Kennean got his feet under him again, a bit battered and seeing double it looked like. "Geez lady, what's up with the anger act? I'm only trying to help."

"I obviously don't need _your_ help," I snarled, getting ready to sick my favorite monster on him again.

"Ouch, harsh," Kennean simpered. "Well if I'm so harmless why won't you let me escort you to where it is that you're going?" He walked towards me slowly, his arm spread as if showing me that he had no weapons. I raised my duel-disk higher unconsciously and he stood still.

"No," I said firmly.

"Why not? What're you trying to do? Most people like you are really lost and confused when they show up here and I have to go through the whole explanation thing, like that kid a few years back. As a matter of fact, you're the first dream walker I've seen in a good two years," Kennean exclaimed with a frown. "So why are you here?"

"Why do you care?" I was suddenly under the impression that Kennean was incredibly intelligent. Something about the way he held himself and the way his eyes looked through me brought that on I suppose. He didn't look terribly untrustworthy either, he seemed to be honest. He was muscular, true, but my Cyber Tutu had just whipped his hide so he couldn't be that much of a threat.

Or was he just faking?

"Because you're in danger if you somehow get into another world or run into someone from another world that can see you. Especially if they're in white," he added as an afterthought.

"You're in white," I countered. He looked down at himself briefly and then raised an eyebrow at me. The only articles of clothing on him that were white was his undershirt and the small piece of twine that held his hair in a ponytail at the neckline; his jacket and pants were a rugged tan. When you add in the belt he gave off more of a piratey appearance than an 'I'm a society of the light member' look.

He shrugged it off, deciding not to call my sanity into question. "And because, like I said, I'm a good guy. It's just something I care about. Imagine just suddenly walking into someone who looks distinctly lost and in shock and then having them run from you like you're a toadstool or something."

I continued my glare and put my polymerization card near its slot in my duel-disk. He rested his hands in his pockets and leaned on one foot, waiting for my answer with a calm silence on his face. Okay, options:

1) Knock him out with Cyber Blader or my fist

2) Pretend to let him help me and then force myself to wake up

3) Just let him help and kick him where the sun don't shine if he tries anything

Well option one was rather appealing, but he wasn't trying to hurt me (yet) so I really didn't have any justification to hurt him. Number two I don't like, I'd be wasting precious time searching for Jaden and I have no idea how much time he has left until he finds and confronts the last surviving wave of light. Three... what the hell, I'll do it. Who knows, he might be helpful and I actually have no idea where I am anymore.

"Alright," I mumbled, lowering my duel-disk. Cyber Tutu nodded at me and vanished as I placed her back on my deck with my other cards. Kennean smiled in a friendly manner and walked until he was just hovering at the edges of my personal space bubble.

"So, where would you like to go?" he asked politely.

* * *

**(Jesse POV) **

Ruby mewled at me, breaking me out of my light sun-induced doze. A bit disoriented, it took me a few minutes to decipher what she was saying. Finally, the sweet little gal got annoyed and just pointed to my right. Understanding flooded through me as I saw the form of Alexis tense in her sleep and her breath come out in short bursts like she was running from something. I watched her intently with my emerald gaze, waiting to see if I was going to have to wake her up from the nightmare she was facing.

The other Rhodes sibling quietly walked over to my side and poked me in the ribs, effectively scaring the living daylights out of me. His expression was cheery, but I could see the pain in his deep brown eyes; we all could. Despite this, his tone was still light when he said, "If I didn't know better I'd say that you're checking out Lexi. Do you like her Jess-Jess?"

"Jess-Jess?" I inquired. He nodded energetically. "Naw, my heart belongs to another gal."

Atticus looked quite taken aback and then abruptly shifted in Master of Love mode. "Who is it? Does Jesse had a secret lover tucked away in his pocket somewhere? Who is she?"

I smiled mysteriously at my senior. "No one you know."

Atticus looked affronted. "Now Jess-Jess"—he waved his finger in my face—"I know every single girl here on this island, it's my job as Master of Love! So why don't you just tell me so I can help you get together!"

I continued to smile at him and answered, "She's not here Atticus."

"Oh! A secret lover from back home perhaps?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows at me.

"Something like that," I said to satisfy him. He mulled over my answer for a few minutes before running back into the surf. I let the fake smile fade off my face when I knew I was quite alone. True, my heart did belong to another, and hers for me, but we both knew there was no way that our love would work out. Sighing in an effective depression, I placed myself back down on my side and stared out into the waves. My expression darkened, remember my first encounter with her and then with the other male.

_Flashback: _

_Ruby chirped helpfully at me from my shoulder, trying to calm my nerves. I thanked her for trying, but quietly asked if she would leave me alone for a little while so I could figure out what to do. I was standing in the middle of an unfamiliar street that was pretty much deserted with the exception of a few people running by under the watchful eye of the midnight moon. _

_I stood still for a while, trying to get my bearings or at least find a friendly face to tell me where I was. Unfortunately for me, not many friendly faces are about in the middle of the night. My feet started moving towards a small cozy home with the lights still on. When I reached the doorway, my hand lifted and knocked politely on the door. The chattering in the house broke off suddenly. _

_I let out a disappointed sigh, not that I could blame them for not answering the door. Turning around and walking away, I suddenly heard the door open and light flooded around me. Surprised and grateful, I looked back around only to have all trains of thoughts obliterated. A woman roughly my age was standing in the doorway, framed in an angelic light under the watchful eyes of the moon. Her eyes were a gentle and calming red, like a ruby, and her hair was a glossy raven. She smiled at me kindly, adding small dimples in her cheeks and making her eyes sparkle. "Hello?" she asked in a voice that mimicked bells. _

_Snapping out of my daze, I replied, "Hi, sorry to bother you at such a late hour but... I'm lost. Can you help me?" _

_She chuckled a little bit, but swept aside to let me into her home. I was stunned. Who lets a strange man into their house at midnight! "So what's you're name?" she wondered when I walked into her hallway, admiring the simple wood floor and cream walls. _

_"Jesse Anderson." I turned back to her and apologized for my intrusion again. She laughed again and brought me into a living room so we could sit down on her couch. There was another man in the room, but he had his back turned to us. "What's your name?" _

_"Kiara," she replied levelly. "And that's my brother over there. So Jesse, what brings you to our humble home?" _

_"Well... I don't know how I got here," I admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. Her brother turned to face us, his red eyes locked on my duel-disk that was on my arm. "I was just taking a break after I finished a duel in the Pros and started walking around... and I kind of took a few wrong turns and now I'm lost!" _

_"I'd gladly help you get to wherever it is you're going!" Kiara smiled kindly, showing off her perfectly white teeth. Flustered now, I thanked her profusely and she simply laughed, going into the kitchen to get a map out. Her brother stared at me unabashedly from between his finger tips. _

_"You're Kiara's brother right? Older or younger?" was my feeble attempt to start a conversation with the observational man. _

_"Older, by two minutes," he said with a serious smile. "We're twins." _

_"Oh," I answered. "I'm an only child. Do you duel?" Hey, at least I was trying to start a conversation with this creepy guy! _

_He started to answer, but then Kiara's beautiful voice rang into the room. "I can't find it! Can you help me brother?" _

_He smiled and shook his head, excusing himself from the room with an apologetic glance at me. I managed a dazed smile back, and started looking around at the pictures in the room. Ruby popped up onto my shoulder and tugged at my hair, trying to pull me towards the door Kiara had disappeared into. "Come on gal, I'm not gonna eavesdrop on them!" She mewled more urgently this time, and I obeyed. Ruby never acted like this before. _

_"We need to send him away Kiara!" the brother whispered to his twin harshly. "He doesn't belong here!" _

_"That's what I'm trying to do Eon," Kiara replied levelly. There was a rustling of paper and a drawer was opened. "Finally found it! Stupid map!" _

_"You know what I mean!" Eon hissed at the raven beauty. "We have to send him _away_! He's obviously a friend of _him_! Why else would he be in here right now! We're cut off, remember?" _

_"I know Eon," Kiara said lightly, the sound of her skirt swishing in the air to suggest that she was moving away from her brother. "He just seems so confused and lost, he's probably harmless. I'll show him how to get home and then he'll probably just forget about us like everyone else does." _

_"He won't!" Eon shouted, making me jump away from the door in surprise. His voice dropped dangerously again. "Can't you see who he is Kiara? He's the Gem Beast wielder. He won't leave until he finds him." _

_"Jesse just wants to go home, he's not trying anything funny. Why do you always think the worst when you meet new people?" Kiara scolded. I heard her faint footsteps coming closer to me and I quickly jumped to the other side of the room, Ruby still on my shoulder. "Besides, how can you tell he's the Gem Beast Wielder anyway? He doesn't have any duel spirits floating around." _

_Ruby vanished quickly when the twins stepped out. Their faces help no emotion to suggest that they had just been arguing about me. Kiara handed me the map and I moved it around in confusion. She laughed again, taking my hands to straighten the map. After a few confusing minutes I showed her where my apartment was and she showed me the way and offered to help bring me home. "That's mighty appreciated Kiara," I managed to say, "but you've already done so much for me, I don't want to be too much grief." _

_"It's no problem Jesse," she countered. "You're not that far away from us anyway." _

_"But then you'd have to walk back alone," I pointed out to her. She shrugged. _

_"I'm nocturnal anyway," she teased, sticking her tongue out at me. "Or at least after I had that coffee a few minutes ago!" _

_A rebellious smile carved into my face and my free hand rubbed my neck sheepishly. I stopped suddenly, painful memories of Jaden doing the same thing blossoming in my subconscious. My hand dropped weakly to my side and hung there for a few seconds while Kiara put on her shoes. She brushed her glossy locks out of her face in vain and then settled for pulling it back in a messy ponytail. _

_"I'll keep the door unlocked for you," Eon called after us as we departed the house. Kiara waved at him and started to drag me away from the home. The man waved back simply before being swallowed up by the light from the doorway. _

_Once we were a few blocks away, Kiara started talking to me about pointless things, like we were on some kind of game show. "So Jesse, how old are you? Do you have a girlfriend? Who's your best friend? Do you have any siblings? What's your favorite color? Animal? Duel monster?" _

_I drilled off the answers without really thinking, trying to keep up with her constant stream of questions. "Eighteen, no, Jaden Yuki, no, don't know, ditto, ditto..." _

_"Come on, you've got to have a favorite something! If you keep answering no preference I'll start to think that you're one of those secret agent spies!" Kiara pouted, poking me in the chest. _

_"But I really don't have a favorite color or animal or card," I replied honestly. "I love them all the same." _

_Her eyes glistened curiously and her lips parted slightly, another unanswerable thought on her tongue. So naturally she surprised me by saying, "You're best friends with Jaden Yuki? Isn't he the top duelist waaaaaaaaaay over in Duel Academy? I saw him on TV once, dueling Chazz Princeton and winning." _

_"Yeah, he's my best bud, why?" _

_"How'd you meet him? I heard you went somewhere near here... North Academy with your Gem cards, right?" Her finger tapped her hips unconsciously while she was talking. I shrugged nonchalantly, a little bit on guard. How did she know all of this? _

_"I transferred to Duel Academy in my third year and met him there." _

_"Oh, that makes sense!" she agreed easily. Then she turned to me sharply and her tone hardened to a fiery ice. "Listen to me Jesse; you've got to get out of here!" _

_"Wha—?" _

_"You're in danger, there are people living here that will want you out of the picture. You have to leave and never come back!" _

_"But what about you?" _

_"I'm one of them!" _

The world faded around me, and I found that my eyes were closed. More confused than usual, I tried to open them, but failed miserably.

"Jesse?" a familiar voice ventured. Whoever this was sounded relieved and scared. "Guys! He's waking up!"

I could hear people shuffling around the room and putting their hands next to me. Ever so slowly, my eyes flickered open and the world came into a fuzzy focus. My friends from Duel Academy were all gathered around my white bed in a big white room. Dizzy, I tried to sit up only to have someone I didn't know push me back down and scald me. "Mr. Anderson, please lay down," she said. I did as I was told, now in complete confusion.

"How are you feeling soldier?" Tyranno Hassleberry asked me. I turned to look at him and flinched sharply as a hot pain shot down my shoulder. His eyes saddened. "Not so good huh?"

"What happened?" I croaked, stunning myself by the lack of volume from my voice box.

"You were walking around after your match tonight Jesse," Aster informed me, "and you were hit by a car from behind while you were walking on the sidewalk."

I shot up in my bed, instantly regretting it when my muscles yelled at me in protest. "WHAT!"

"Jesse, calm down," Alexis suggested quietly. I looked at her incredulously.

"I was hit by a car! Why can't I remember that!" I burst. Then something clicked in my head and I looked down at myself. I wasn't in any kind of casts or anything... shouldn't I be? "Why aren't I...?"

"Hurt worse?" Syrus offered slowly, his big grey eyes dull. "We don't know..."

"You should have been killed," Chazz inserted bluntly. "Something protected you though. Probably one of your 'family members'."

My eyes clouded over for a second, trying to remember _anything_ about the accident. Finally, the screeching of tires and bright lights came rushing back in my head, the Gem Beast yelling at me to move, and then the feeling of something pushing me out of the way and softening the blow of the grill of the car. Ruby appeared on my shoulder and the rest of my 'family' followed shortly to answer the unasked question.

"It wasn't us Jesse," Topaz Tiger said. "We couldn't do anything to stop it. Something else must have saved you."

I thought about it for a second and then my eyes widened. "Kiara! Is she okay! Was she hit too!"

"Who?" the other person, who I recognized as a nurse now, asked.

"There was someone walking with me—her name's Kiara—when I must have gotten hit!" I shouted, trying to stand up only to be pushed down by Axel and Jim.

"There wasn't a shelia with you mate," Jim said worriedly. "It was only you."

"But..." I fumbled meekly. "There was... I got lost and had to ask for directions, and she was helping me find my way back..."

Axel frowned, looking me straight in the eye. "There was no one with you Jesse. You were alone."

I bit my lip nervously. What was going on here?

After I was released I found myself constantly searching the streets for her—or her house. I never did. Was she just some kind of hallucination brought on by my head hitting the pavement? Or was she the one that saved me? But then why would she run afterwards?

_"I'm one of them." _

Then why would she save me? Was it her? What was I even thinking about when I went for a walk that night?

... Oh, right. I was asking Rainbow Dragon if he could do anything to help me get to Jaden. He said he could try to find some way into the Dark World, but there were no guarantees. Then I got lost, asked for help, and got hit by a car? I don't even know, everything's just a blur now...

Ruby nudged my cheek in the present, successfully dislodging my musings. I petted her head hesitantly and agreed, "Yeah, it's no use thinkin' about the past right? I found her again anyway."

The lil gal shrugged (which isn't easy for a Carbuncle) and curled up on my chest again, her tail wrapping around my neck. I smiled lightly and then glanced over at Alexis, who had stopped panting and now simply looked annoyed. Alright, so she's not having a nightmare about losing Jaden again, that's good. Now where did Atticus go? Oh well.

"Anderson," Chazz said lowly, not wanting to wake up Alexis. "Duel me." I rolled my eyes at him, but stood up and grabbed my duel-disk from my bag. We squared off a reasonable distance away from Alexis so we wouldn't startle her and proceeded to duel.

* * *

**(Alexis POV) **

"Where would you like to go?"

I hesitated again, hating this situation in general. If I told him exactly where I was going and he was an enemy, I could put Jaden in even more danger and myself. If I didn't tell him I'd still be lost and it would waste more valuable time that I should be using to get to the Twelfth Dimension. Alright, then I'll just get him to get me on the right path and then ditch him... hopefully.

"The east exit of this village."

"There are plenty of them," Kennean drilled absently, already starting to walk in their general direction. "Each one will take you to a different village. I'm going to need more information than that... what was you name?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "234598053.90837... Junior," I answered sarcastically. He raised an eyebrow at me, but kept walking. "And why should I tell you exactly where I'm going anyway?"

"Because I can't lead you if I don't know where we're going."

"_We_ aren't going anywhere," I responded, emphasizing we. Kennean shrugged, sitting down at my side and looking up at me absently.

"I guess not," he answered with a smirk. He folded his hands behind his head and stared up at me, waiting for the answer that I wasn't going to give him. "So, _Junior_, what are you doing here anyway, surely there's something that's keeping you tethered to this world."

"Oh, I'm just searching for the best home-made chocolate-chip cookie in the universe," I replied without batting an eyelash. Well, apparently I became very sarcastic when I'm angry at Duel-Monsters from another world.

He smiled like that was a perfectly normal answer. "Well, I'm no cook but a friend of mine can cook like there's no tomorrow if you're interested."

Ouch, and he can dish it right back. "Fine, can you just show me where Haou's Memorial is?" I snapped, folding my arms across my chest and just itching to summon up another monster to hit him with. His eyes gleamed at the information.

"You know who Haou is? Then you must be one of Jaden Yuki's human friends aren't you? So now you're searching for him because he has yet to return to his new home world and to you, am I right?" He stood up, staring at me directly in the eyes. For my part, I let my usual Ice Queen Mask cover my surprise and lied my butt off.

"Who is Jaden Yuki? I just know that memorial is Haou's because I was listening to some people talk about it. And this is my home world."

"Sure, and I'm actually a human who has just finished college and is applying for a Master's Degree in Biochemistry," Kennean rebuked, just as icy. We stared at each other for a long time, neither side giving up any ground.

"Just take me there or get the heck out of my way," I grit, trying my best not to slap him silly. The wind tussled our hair briefly, diffusing the situation. He turned his back to me and started to walk away, leaving me to follow behind him, which I hated. Playing helpless side-kick was not my thing.

* * *

**OoO**

**NEW CHARACTERS ALERT! BY THE BY, THEY ARE GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT IN THE PLOT, SO SEE IF YOU CAN GUESS WHY! (ALTHOUGH ITS PROBABLY NOT WHAT YOU THINK... WELL BECAUSE IT'S ME WHO'S WRITING! .;;)**

**THANKS FOR READING!**


	9. Lies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX. **

**On a random note I am in love with 5ds now. Yusei is amazing. Faithshipping FTW. XD**

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* * *

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**Lies**

**(Alexis POV)**

We walked in muted tension, my legs still protesting against my mind, reminding me of the mad flee I had made from this guy. And he was fine apparently, slinking around like it was no big deal that he just chased me clear out of the town and now had to walk all the way back.

And every single time he thought I wasn't looking, he'd slide those creepy red eyes over to observe me like I was some kind of a freak. I was in half a mind to start yelling at him again when he started talking in that kind and low voice.

This sucks!

"So... I still don't know your name you know. What harm will come from that?"

Probably none, I hadn't been alive in this world long enough those three horrible years ago to have made my mark in any history books. But Jaden and Yubel were depending on me. I was going to save his life. Me. And I couldn't risk my neck for his sake.

A fake name then. But what?

"I don't trust you yet," I replied, buying time. Geez, why was it so hard to come up with a name on the spot?!

"I know. And I'm sorry about chasing you... it's just... the last time I met one of your kind..."

"My kind? You mean humans?"

Come on name!

"Yes and no. I mean the ones that travel around in their dreams."

"So what happened to him or her?" I asked, my heart jumping when the city gates finally came into view, surprisingly bleak and gray when compared to all of the life around me.

"I'll tell you in exchange for a name. Or a nickname. Something to call you other than Junior at least," he smiled, his bangs sweeping across his forehead gently. His hands were in his deep pockets, relaxed, and his legs were moving at an easy pace so I could keep up with him.

He was being so kind to me, and all I was giving him was trouble and a fake name. Guilt touched my mind with its long piano fingers, but my desire for a safe Jaden slapped them away. Everything I did was for him, the savior of all universes, the king of this world, so it was justifiable.

Right?

"My name is..." I looked up at him past my long lashes, still searching for something. He grinned patiently down at me, not a spark of malice in his sharp eyes. "Blair Flannigan."

There. She had never even come into this world, so there was no harm. And I recognized the name of my old love rival well enough.

"Blair?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Don't make fun of it."

"Why would I?" he mumbled, his face suddenly troubled, his gaze turned towards the heavens. "It's a beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

I bristled. _Was he hitting on me?_

"It's very fitting. It is a strong name. Like a flash of fire, illuminating an otherwise dark and desolate room with a streak of beautiful light—a glimpse of hope. A force that could catch hold of fear and burn it to the ground, growing more powerful and luminous in the small space it once occupied, until it burns all the boundaries around it and is set free..."

I stared at him. Blair would have liked the way he described her name. His lips moved just so slightly as if afraid of blowing out the fire, his voice was just above a whisper, coming out in long splendid puffs, his eyes still cast towards the sky as if imagining how high the flare would reach.

"You're a poet?" I asked.

That question brought him out of his revere with a surprised laugh and a shake of his head. "Heavens no! I just like reading books is all." –He gestured to the book he had been reading when he walked into me from his pockets—"I do wish to be a famous writer some day though."

"Is that what you do?" I wondered, just glad to be away from the topic of _me. _

"Write? Oh yes, I do. Just children's stories so far, but it is still a very nice life," the dreamy look was back in his eyes, his mind far away. How could I have thought he was dangerous? "I would like to write your story as well, Blair."

"Huh?"

I squinted now, the sun emerging from behind a stubborn white cloud and bathing his lean figure in a blindingly white light.

_Danger, _the light seemed to scream, reminding me of my old enemy. But the light was gone from this world. Jaden was approaching the final dimension's end right now, and he wouldn't leave a world until he was sure it was safe.

_But he's still only human;_ my mind whispered quietly, the thought shaking my being down to my feet. _He could very easily miss one person, one author, one duel monster who looks so natural surrounded in white sunlight..._

"Your story," he repeated cheerily, completely missing my suspicion. "I believe your journey will make a wonderful account! A young woman, in her early twenties, searching through lands far from home to find the one she loves beyond everything else—to save his life from a deadly and horrible force of destruction—to win his heart and his hand in marriage! To save not just one world, but to save the entire universe!"—he actually wiped a tear from his eyes!—"What a beautiful tale. And completely true to boot."

I stared at him. He stared back, his teeth gleaming behind his smile.

"What do you say savoir of our savior?"

"Are you delusional?" I demanded, coming to an abrupt halt. My legs were relieved for the break, but the rest of me was anxious to continue towards Jaden. He stopped next to me, raising one of his thin eyebrows so it vanished into his black bangs.

"I'm a writer, of course I'm delusional."

I didn't quite know how to respond to that, so I barreled on. "This isn't a fairy tale Kennean! This is real life! Real—which means I could die before I even find him! You could die if you came along with me!"

"So it's true?" he replied softly, his gaze holding mine in place. I nodded fiercely. What was the point of lying about a mission he already had figured out? "How do you think your story will end Blair? How can you save him all alone?"

"I'm never alone," I replied automatically, one hand over my deck and the other over my heart.

"You are a true heroine Blair Flannigan."—I felt my hazel eyes widen in surprise—"Only a person with a heart so noble and faithful can be one."

"Thank you?"

"Don't thank me," he said, breaking my gaze with his bangs, "because heroes and heroines always die because of such a heart."

My face lost its feeling. Die? "Not always! Jaden is a hero and he hasn't died!"

"Actually, he already has once. Or have you forgotten of Haou's memorial so quickly? Have you forgotten that you are trying to save his life—the one he is going to forfeit in order to save everything he loves?"

"So what—he's alive right now isn't he! And I'm alive! And Yubel is alive! The three of us will change your theory Kennean—we'll make it out!" I shouted, digging my heels into the grass, trying to make myself believe those very words.

"I hope that you are right Blair," he frowned, suddenly putting both hands on my shoulders. "And I hope that I can prove myself wrong as well. Will you let me help you?"

"But then you'd be a hero too," I pointed out defiantly.

He smiled.

"And what a better way to die is there than to die for the ones you love?"

I blinked at him, trying to figure out his character beneath the white glare from the sun. "Dying old and happy with them by your side?"

He chuckled, "But where's the story in that Blair?"

Of course, it was only much later than I would realize he didn't tell me about the other Dream Wanderer. I only realized it when it was much too late to save me.

* * *

**(Yubel POV)**

I smiled down at his sleeping form, stroking his long hair from his dirty face. He had grown so much in these long hard years, both physically and mentally. He was no longer the child that he had been three years ago—he was now the King he was meant to be.

_Except he has no throne while the light still leeches off the universe. _

Still smiling, I stood and stretched my wings, letting my gaze find the opening to the cave we resided in and out towards the stars.

"They all share the same sky," he had commented once, as we had flown over the last world together, the smallest of smiles present in his face.

"Yes, my dear, they do," I whispered to him, turning my head to observe his slumber once more. His chest rose and fell naturally, ruffling the white cloak we had found for him in the third dimension. Long brown strands of hair fell back in his unusually relaxed face again, but I let them stay for now.

It was too risky for me to do what I had done. Why did I leave him alone in this hostile word with only a winged puffball and an alien to protect him? This dimension was full of the light and its disciples and I had left him alone, asleep, undefended, right in the middle of it, just to speak with a young woman who probably wouldn't make it in time to save his life!

His pale fingers twitched at something in the other world, the one he visited in his dreams. My fists clenched painfully into themselves. I had only discovered that he dreamed of his current home dimension after he had...

After those horrible scars had appeared on his arms. After he almost bled out in my arms. After he had saved another one of his friends' lives, nearly at the cost of his own.

And here I was, deliberately putting one of them in the line of fire again. _Again._

After everything I had done to them and him in the past, after the tears, the death, the betrayal, the lies, the darkness, the light, the pain, and the twisted demented love that I fostered in my still beating heart.

But because that had happened, I knew that we could still keep things from one another. This both dismayed and excited me. Dismay fell into my heart because even though we shared the same soul we could still never be one, excitement because now I could plan on how to save his life. Now I could save him like I had failed to in his first, short life.

Softly, he called out to me in his dreams.

But I did not want to touch him with my tainted hands.

_How will he take her arrival? How will she take the truth?_

Why did I have to lie to the girl, to Alexis? Why didn't I just tell her the truth? She loved _my_ love with all of her heart; it would not have mattered to her whether or not he was already taken. She would have still come.

_But would she love him the way you needed? _

No, she would not love him the way I needed her to if she knew that Jaden and I were not like brothers to one another. She would not continue to love him if she knew it was pointless. She would not be able to save his life then. She would be useless, only a faint reminder of the past that my beloved Jaden worked so hard to protect.

She would be the death of the universe if I had told her the truth.

"Yu... bel?"

Murmurs in his sleep again. I returned to my place by his side and touched his toughened arms.

"I am here my love. I will always be here."

With pure intentions and tainted hands.

* * *

**(Jaden POV)**

I would never understand my old friends.

Why they wept for the one who had carelessly discarded them, why they refused to let go of their murderer, why they still believed in _my_ life instead of their own, or why they continued to love me even after my heart had strangled itself with love for them.

Yet here they were, three years after I had abandoned them again. Three years to mend their broken spirits and go on with their lives. Three years to escape from this wretched island that had taken their dreams from them so ruthlessly so many times, only for me to just barely scrape up enough energy to return them.

And how do they repay me?

Do they take their returned dreams and pursue them? Do they push thoughts of me and my soon-to-be death to the darkest corners of their minds where I belong? Do they start families? Do they fulfill their lives?

No.

They sit around on a beach on the very island that isn't going to reunite us and hope that I will perform a miracle again.

... But despite my harsh words I cannot bring myself to hate them for ignoring my sacrifice. Partly because of the fact that I'm touched by their endless faith in me, but mainly because I didn't even sacrifice myself to Yubel entirely for them either.

True, part of my rationale was they would all be returned home if I could stop Yubel. But even truer was the fact that I _wanted_ to fuse with Yubel. The fact that I _loved_ her and had promised my love to her for _eternity._

I shook my head away from those thoughts, enjoying the sensation of my hair hitting my face instead of the long white hood that usually hid my appearance. None of them could see me here anyway—they hadn't seen the new me.

But I could see them.

And hear them.

That was enough.

To know that despite everything, they had a glitter of happiness within them. If only they could understand how much of that they could have if they'd just let me go.

But I knew deep in my soul that they never would—even if I scratched a message to them in the sand, saying that Jaden Yuki was dead. They would need solid, breathing (or rather not breathing) evidence; they would need my body at their doorstep for them to believe.

And even though my mind was here, watching over them like the angel I wasn't, my body was so far away.

Sighing as deeply as I could, I allowed myself to flop down on the sand and relax. It was hard to unwind my muscles with all the tension they bore each waking day of my short life. It was impossible to silence my mind.

But I was never the type to not try.

Jesse and Chazz were dueling, so I watched them for a short while, unable to recall my own spark. Being consumed by life-or-death duels for three years could do that to a person I suppose.

My attention waned from their fight and travelled to the ocean, to Syrus and a short little girl named Emma. He was, surprisingly enough, in the water and smiling, chasing her around like he didn't have a care in the world. Warmth spread through my being.

The look in his eyes reminded me of the way Yubel looked at me. The way I looked at her.

_Yubel..._

Why didn't she ever travel to this world with me? We were one and the same, so why didn't she appear with me? Were our minds still separate entities?

And for some reason, Yubel has been vexed with the thoughts of my old death more and more each day. It constantly plagues her thoughts, and thus, mine.

I knew that our life was a very complicated thing, and our fate was even more fickle. Death was the only absolute thing in any world. All beings met their end; there is no such for as immortality.

But when had this started? It seemed like such a long time ago, perhaps ever since our fusion...No, that wasn't right. There were no fears for me for a while after we were reunited. Hmm... When exactly...?

My eyes caught sight of the long scars travelling down the length of my arms. Oh, of course.

The accident—Jesse.

* * *

**Sorry for the short update, but I'm still swamped with a bunch of stuff... Summer will be a relief! **

**And I will be keeping a 'journal' on my profile page, updating it whenever I feel like it to let you guys know what's going on with me and when to expect updates.**

**IMPORTANT**

**This is the last chapter that I will be writing until I am done with The Descent or Golden Eyes**

**Golden Eyes was the winner of the contest! I will be closing the poll one day after this chapter has been posted, so if you really want this story to be continued, it's not too late. **

**Bye! Thanks for reading!**

**~AxJfan**


	10. Author's Note: Story Continued!

Hello everyone! Most of you said you wanted this story updated alongside Golden, and I agreed! A new chapter of Without You will come out for every two chapters of Golden, but first, I am going to edit this story.

There will be no major changes to the plot or characters, like in Golden. I felt "Golden Eyes" was overrun with OCs, and when I removed them, I found that the lack of their presence did not alter the plot. However, removing them in this story would completely ice the plot, so they stay.

I will be re-writing the chapters so that the characters are more true to the show and the writing style change is not too drastic. The biggest change I have is compressing all of the "prologues" into one official prologue. This should not take much time, as I already know where this story is going.

Thank you for sticking with me, and I can't wait to get to editing!

~AxJfan


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